September 02, 2010
13:40
Dark chocolate orange cake
» ‎ Food, In The Main...

Wow, it’s been so long since my previous post that I feel like I’m starting a new blog and certainly the chances that I’ll need to accumulate a new fan base are pretty good, too. Not that I’m accusing anybody of neglect. I mean, I know better than anyone else how I keep pruning my link list according to how long the linked blog has been inactive. It wouldn’t be fair or sensible to expect people to continue to visit my blog over an indefinite period with nothing new to look at or read. Anyway, it’s been a combination of family emergency (all of July) and general sloth (all of August).

I did have a few folders with photographs of recipes I’d made prior to July, but the long gap undid my memory. In other words, I couldn’t remember the ingredient list/substitutions, or the steps involved. That’s the problem with winging it with recipes, exacerbated by a bad memory.

Anyway, to mark my return to the food blogging world, from this recipe on, I’ll be incorporating a small change to the sequence of steps involved in the recipe. This is something that I’ve seen on a blog that I (and a zillion others) enjoy reading – me mainly for the droll humour of Ree Drummond, but also because I’m fascinated by her cheerful use of vast quantities of butter and cream in practically every recipe. (I haven't yet tried any of her recipes, but chances are very good that when I do, it will be a baking recipe.)

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a fanatic about cooking healthy all the time, but she’s something else again. I love her bindaas attitude in the kitchen, but I have to assume that she does not indulge much in her own cooking, otherwise she would be top contender for “fattest woman in the USA”.

Looks like my train of thought has wandered off-track again. So, as I was saying, I’m – finally – going to incorporate something that the Pioneer Woman uses on her blog. No, not her sense of humour. I doubt I could do that. No, it’s the composite recipe that she gives at the end of each post, to make it easy for anyone who’s copy-pasting the recipe into a Word document to save on their computer. Right now, anybody who does that with recipes off my blog would find all the photos used in the recipe also being copied, forcing them to delete each photo from the Word document and all the extra space that the photos occupied for each step. It can be a pain if you want just the recipe and method without the photos (again, I’ve experienced it on other blogs), so I’m going to do as the Pioneer Woman does. Monkey see, monkey do.

I don’t think this is copyright infringement, as it’s not the contents of her blog or blogposts that I’m copying but just one stylistic element. At least, I hope I’m right. If anybody is more informed about this, please let me know.

So, finally, the recipe.

I wanted to make a chocolate-orange cake for my cousin and her husband who were visiting me last weekend, but I didn’t want it to be any recipe that I’d tried. It is always a risky affair to try a new recipe for guests without first doing a trial-run... but then I like to live life dangerously, sometimes (haha). I’d never used a whole cooked orange – peel, pith and all - in any cake, so I decided this would be the perfect occasion to try out the recipe. I didn’t know what a cooked, pureed orange would bring to the cake, but I kinda hoped that it would be a good, strong orange flavour – something I love. As it happened, the cake was nice and moist, but I have to say the orange flavour was not as pronounced as I’d hoped for. And this after I’d used orange oil extract as well! But it was a lovely cake, all the same.

For those who don’t like the taste of 85% cacao content dark chocolate, I suggest you use milk chocolate, or perhaps a lighter dark chocolate (as contradictory as that sounds). The cake as I made it is also on the less sweet side, because I used 90% dark chocolate to flavour the cake as well as for the frosting. If you stick with really dark chocolate, serve the cake with Chantilly cream or vanilla icecream to mellow the darkness a bit.

Recipe for: Dark chocolate orange cake

Ingredients:

1 large Minneolas or Seville orange
125g 85% dark chocolate , broken into pieces
3 eggs
1 cup caster sugar
1 cup sunflower oil
2 tsp orange oil extract
1-1/4 cup plain flour
1½ tsp baking powder

For the chocolate ganache

200g 85% dark chocolate, broken into pieces
1 tsp orange oil extract
225ml double cream

Method:

Ganache

Make the chocolate ganache first, as it will take time for it to cool to spreading consistency. To make the ganache, put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream to boiling, then pour over the chocolate. Let it sit for 3 minutes, then stir till the mixture is glossy and smooth. Set aside until firm enough to spread.

Cake

1. Pierce the orange with a skewer (right through).

Cook in boiling water for 30 minutes until soft,

then puree it.

2. Preheat the oven to 180/375F. Spray a round 9" cake tin (or a bundt tin) with Pam.

3. Melt the chocolate in the microwave - 2 minutes on high, stir, then heat for 45 seconds at a time till melted. Let cool.

4. Place the sugar and oil in a large bowl, then add the eggs.

Beat them lightly till amalgamated, but dont whip it all to a froth.

5. Gradually beat in the puréed orange.

6. Sift the flour and baking powder, then add it to the batter.

7. Stir in the cooled melted chocolate

and mix well.

8. Pour into the prepared tin and bake in the centre of the oven until the cake tests done - in my oven it took about 60 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.

8. Place the cake on a serving plate, then swirl the prepared ganache over the top (and sides if you like).

Serve at room temperature with vanilla icecream or Chantilly cream.

RECIPE: DARK CHOCOLATE ORANGE CAKE

Ingredients:

1 large Minneolas or Seville orange
125g 85% dark chocolate , broken into pieces
3 eggs
1 cup caster sugar
1 cup sunflower oil
1-1/4 cup plain flour
1½ tsp baking powder

For the chocolate ganache
200g 85% dark chocolate , broken into pieces
225ml double cream

Method:

Ganache

Make the chocolate ganache first, as it will take time for it to cool to spreading consistency. To make the ganache, put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream to boiling, then pour over the chocolate. Let it sit for 3 minutes, then stir till the mixture is glossy and smooth. Set aside until firm enough to spread.

Cake

1. Pierce the orange with a skewer (right through). Cook in boiling water for 30 minutes until soft, then puree it.

2. Preheat the oven to 180/375F. Spray a round 9" cake tin (or a bundt tin) with Pam.

3. Melt the chocolate in the microwave - 2 minutes on high, stir, then heat for 45 seconds at a time till melted. Let cool.

4. Place the sugar and oil in a large bowl, then add the eggs. Beat lightly till amalgamated, but dont whip the eggs to a froth.

5. Gradually beat in the puréed orange.

6. Sift the flour and baking powder, then stir it into the batter.

7. Stir in the cooled melted chocolate and mix well.

8. Pour into the prepared tin and bake in the centre of the oven until the cake tests done - in my oven it took about 60 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.

9. Place the cake on a serving plate, then swirl the prepared ganache over the top (and sides if you like).

Serve at room temperature with vanilla icecream or Chantilly cream.

9:30
Roasted Bell Pepper Raita
» ‎ Talimpu

Kalchina Butta Pachi Mirapakaya Perugu Pachadi. Red bell pepper is roasted on stove top till its cooked and its skin charred. Roasted bell pepper is then chopped up and briefly fried in tempered oil...

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9:30
Roasted Bell Pepper Raita
» ‎ Talimpu

Kalchina Butta Pachi Mirapakaya Perugu Pachadi. Red bell pepper is roasted on stove top till its cooked and its skin charred. Roasted bell pepper is then chopped up and briefly fried in tempered oil...

Read the rest of the talimpu recipe @ www.talimpu.com

8:49
Cardamom Granola!!
» ‎ Stories from an Indian Kitchen!!

I love Granola. Did I ever tell you that? Yes I do. I can eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But, I am not very fond of store bought granola. They are too sweet plus they are way too expensive. I like to make them myself. That way, I can put whatever are my favorites and make it. But I didn't make this granola for myself. I made it for my little one. Yes, she is 3 1/2 and loves granola and her favorite nuts are cashews, almonds and golden raisins. I put these together and made a batch...

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8:33
Happy Krishna Janmashtami/Krishna Jayanthi!!
» ‎ Stories from an Indian Kitchen!!

Many people celebrate Lord Krishna's birthday on many different days. Whatever their way of calculation is, there is something very common among all these. Lot of goodies. I made some too. I did share some with you and others I am yet to share in detailed posts. But, here is an overview with the links to whatever I have already posted. What you see in a bowl is Ompodi which is just a little variation which is explained in this Kara Sev post. In the platter, you see Rave Unde, Coconut Burfi, 6...

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5:30
Eating Out in Taipei
» ‎ when my soup came alive

The first stall that I encountered in the Lin Jiang (Tonghua) night market - they were selling pork dumplings and chicken, among other things. The pork dumplings had some black sesame sprinkled on them. The price for five was NT$40.

Steamed shrimp - mild and delicious

This stall had a variety of foods - meats on a stick, tofu, several bowls of broth bubbling away. I didn't know how to eat them but just bumbled along. It turns out that one way of eating them is that you have to choose your meats, tofu and veggies, which are priced separately. Then they will be boiled in a broth and given to you on a plate with some sauce, and the broth, topped with some celery, comes in a cup.

Meats on a stick - a phenomenon that I've seen in Thailand and Singapore as well, and which one can find throughout the other neighbouring countries, which I hope to visit someday soon!

One of the abovementioned assembled meat-veg-soup combinations

Another stall selling food. In the foreground, in those little cups, is what I think is chowanmushi, savoury Japanese custard containing seafood and mushrooms, which I tasted on a trip to Japan.

There are a variety of sweet potato snacks and desserts - I was too full to try any!

Some more, all colourful

And then some!

Sticky rice cakes, with black sesame and peanut powder, being steamed

And they're ready!

Lest you opt for the white sausage, be warned, it has rice and beans in it, not meat!

Name the body parts! Chicken feet, hearts and livers, great delicacies in Taiwan, I'm told!

Look at the stuffed lady's finger/okra. It was tasty - and cold.

Offerings at the Longshan Temple

Many, many more of them

Century eggs on tofu, I think

Shellfish!

I don't even know what this is!

And finally, ending on a pretty note!

Weekend Herb Blogging Travel Taiwan Taiwanese cuisine Night market Street market Lin Jiang Street Tonghua night market Huaxi night market Longshan temple TaipeiThis feed contains copyrighted photos and text from http://www.whenmysoupcamealive.blogspot.com. If you are not reading this material in a feeds aggregator or by e-mail subscription, the site you are viewing may be guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact srablog (at) gmail (dot) com.

0:06
Traditional Arabian Drinks at Iftaar
» ‎ FOODGODDESS

Traditional Arabian Drinks at Iftaar

September 01, 2010
20:14
Vazhakkai kola urundai (vegetarian version of kheema balls with plantain)
» ‎ Solai's True Chettinad kitchen

I am back to my sweet home after a 5 month stay in US. Definitely missing my grandson 24/7. I need 3 or 4 separate blogs to share my experiences abroad.I was really astonished to see the interest of our guys there in cooking.
After coming home I attended few weddings and collected some rare recipes from the famous chettinad cooks being engaged for the wedding.I will slowly share them with my readers.
The first in the list is the vazhakkai kola urundai,this is a real substitute of the mutton kheema balls for the vegetarians.Those who drool over the kheema balls can have an alternate vegetarian item.
Ingredients
Vazhakkai (medium size) -1
small onion-5
garlic-5
kas kas-1 teaspoon
fennel seeds-1 teaspoon
pottukadalai -3 tablespoons ( should be increased according to the size of the vazhakkai)
cashews -8
green chilli-2
red chilli-2
grated cocunut-2 tablespoons
ginger- 1 inch piece
clove-2
cinamon-a small piece

Procedure
cut the vazhakkai into round pieces as shown and cook well. once it cools remove the skin and smash the pieces nicely using hand.
Keep the kadai in the stove. Pour 1 teaspoon oil.Add cinamon and clove first. Then add onion,garlic,chilli,red chilli,ginger and saute. Now add pottukadalai,kas kas and cashews and roast them in low fire. Once pottukadalai and cashews become pink add the grated cocunut and saute till that too become little red.allow everything to cool. Then grind them to a smooth paste in the mixi. Dont add too much water. If by any chance it turns watery add a hand full of pottukadai and grind. Transfer the grinded items into a bowl. Add the smashed vazhakkai and the salt needed and mix well. Check for the taste. If salt or hotness is missing add chilli powder or salt.
Now the dough is ready for frying. Keep a small kadai in the stove. Add the oil required for frying. Make the dough into small balls and fry in medium fire till they turn golden brown. Dont touch the balls till they get cooked . once they seem to be cooked you can turn sides else there is a chance of balls getting broken.
Your veg version of kheema balls are ready. Serve hot along with tomato sauce and get all the name and fame from your loved ones

16:54
WHEAT SEVAI OR WHOLE WHEAT ANGEL HAIR PASTA PAYASAM
» ‎ Gita's Kitchen

Dear friends, thank you very much for all the support and well wishes during my absence. Things have been busy at the personal front lately that I had hardly any time to post anything in my blog, even from my drafts. Now I have a lot of catching up to do with all your posts :)

Coming on to the recipe, I made this payasam today for Krishna Jayanthi. I found a packet of whole wheat sevai at my nearby Indian grocery and the ingredients consisted of 98% whole wheat, which a perfect choice for a low-carb dessert…..ideal for those who miss out all the sweet indulgences during the festival season. The same payasam can also be made with whole wheat angel hair pasta, and also transformed into a low-fat and sugar-free version with fat-free milk or half and half and Splenda.

INGREDIENTS:
1. Wheat sevai or whole wheat angel hair pasta, ½ small packet. This comes to a cup when broken into small pieces.
2. Milk, 1 to 1-1/2 cups. (Low fat or fat-free milk also works perfect for this).
3. Any sweetener of choice, ½ cup or more depending upon preferred sweetness.
4. Cardamom powder, ½ teaspoon.
5. Ghee or butter, 1-2 tablespoons.
6. Raisins, 2 tablespoons.
7. Cashews, 2 tablespoons.
8. Coconut milk ¼ cup.

PREPARATION:
Grind the coconut with ½ cup of water to a smooth paste. Dry roast the sevai until it changes to a light reddish color and let it cool. In the same pot, add the ghee and let it melt. Roast the cashews and raisins until the nuts turn golden brown and the raisins plump up. Add the milk, coconut milk, ¼ cup of water, cardamom powder, and sweetener and let it come to a boil. Add the sevai or noodles mix everything well and cook until the sevai is cooked. This can be served hot or cold.

Please check out my sugar-free rice and moong dhal payasam here.Gita's Kitchen

16:20
Happy Krishna Jayanthi
» ‎ Cooking 4 all Seasons

Happy Krishna Jayanthi to all my readers and friends!
As it has been the last 3 years this year too we made our boys dress up as little Krishna. I must say it was little better than all the years as they managed to stay in one position for few minutes. Its been hectic over work and Konda has not been keeping well. So I wasn't in a mood to make much of the day.
Just made Attukula Payasam for Neivedyam. Didn't have the patience to take pictures too.
Hope your celebrations were good. Will be back soon..

If you wanted to check out the festival dishes, check out the Indian Festival Foods

14:57
Gul Chane
» ‎ Anna Parabrahma

Gul Chane is a home remedy for cough also offered as prasad for Santoshi Mata Vrat on Fridays
While growing up in Fort, my building mates Munni and Parul would go around on Fridays distributing Gul Chane as prasad. It was offered to Santoshi Mata on Fridays by thier Moms. Typically me and my uncle would be sitting out in the passage in the evenings and my uncle would point to his rotund tummy and say, "Look at this and give me prasad." Munni would argue she had to offer to everyone in the building. My uncle MJ would negotiate for a kiss instead :)
I would love this too and Mom made it at home only when we had cough and cold. She would give us a vati filled with it and we would relish it though it was a simple snack.
This snack proved useful to me. Bangalore is seeing so much dynamic changes in weather more than 70% of the people are suffering from cough and cold. It rains every morning, suddenly it gets very sunny in the afternoon and every evening there are showers light and heavy. I have had bad throat for couple of weeks now. I have been sucking on Cofsil Losenges without any results. That dry cough makes you feel pukish. That is when I remembered my mother's home remedy. I packed a vati sized box with Gul and roasted split Chana for munching through the day. LO ! the next day my cough vanished. I still have a bit of cold but the mucous is clearing. Mom used to say that this ripen/ matures the mucous faster and hence gives relief from that irritant cough.
Also this is a very nutritious snack for people who need high protein supply, recommended highly for kids and adults equally. There is no proportion for it just go by your liking. Jaggery (Gul) + Roasted Chickpeas whole or split (Chane or Dahale/ Phutani)
All material on this blog is Copyright © 2006, 2007 to Anna Parabrahma

14:25
My heart is bursted
» ‎ jugalbandi

with joy ...

13:36
Grilled Pizza
» ‎ Cook's Hideout
So after having Burgers with home-made buns for our first veggie bbq, the next logical dish to make seemed to be Grilled pizzas. I found an awesome recipe for perfect grilled pizza on King Arthur’s site. This is my go-to website for all things baking, they have so many different recipes, some of which are guaranteed by KAF and I absolutely love their blog as they have step-by-step recipes of some very yummy bakes. If you don’t know about KAF, do check them out here.

Coming to the recipe, I made this recipe twice already and it’s been a big hit both times. Recipe is very easy to put together and the dough is very easy to handle as well. We made both thin & thick crust pizzas with the dough and both of them were excellent. My only addition is 2tbsp Extra virgin Olive oil to the dough.

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour
Ingredients:
All purpose Flour – 2½ cups
Semolina flour – ¼ cup (I used fine Sooji from Indian store)
Whole-wheat flour – ¼ cup
Yeast – 1tbsp Salt – ¾tsp
Water – 1cup, luke warm @ 110ºF
EVOO – 2tbsp
Method:
- In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Stir in the salt, EVOO, semolina & whole wheat flour.
- Gradually add in all-purpose flour until it forms a ball.
- Remove from the bowl and knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth, for about 10 minutes.
- Place in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.
- Degas the dough after 2 hours and let rise again for another 40 minutes. Now, punch it down and divide into smaller pieces and roll into pizzas: We made 6 individual thin crust pizzas the first time and for our second attempt, we made 5 individual thick crust pizzas.
- Heat the grill to medium hot; gently drape the rolled dough on the grill grate (either directly on the grill or you can buy a pizza grill topper) and grill for 1-2 minutes. This should be long enough to make it stiffer; brush EVOO on the grilled side and top with your favorite toppings. Grill for another 4-5 minutes until the toppings are hot and cheese is melted. Enjoy right away.
I think grilled pizzas are quick and easy to EAT and have an awesome smoky taste. My choice of toppings (pick all for a supreme loaded pizza or pick 1 or 2 toppings): Caramelized onions, Sautéed mushrooms, tomatoes, grilled veggies (like eggplant, red onion, peppers etc), tandoori paneer (paneer marinated in tandoor spices and grilled) and lots of cheese (of course). Enjoy!!

10:01
Vermicelli Coconut Laddu
» ‎ Talimpu

Semya Kobbari Vundalu. Vermicelli / semya is roasted in ghee till it turns golden brown in color. It is then cooled and ground into fine powder using a grinder. It it then mixed with ground dalia,...

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10:01
Vermicelli Coconut Laddu
» ‎ Talimpu

Semya Kobbari Vundalu. Vermicelli / semya is roasted in ghee till it turns golden brown in color. It is then cooled and ground into fine powder using a grinder. It it then mixed with ground dalia,...

Read the rest of the talimpu recipe @ www.talimpu.com

6:28
Say Hello to Baby P...
» ‎ Passionate about Life 'n Spice...

5:28
Spinach Corn Curry!!
» ‎ Stories from an Indian Kitchen!!

Time flies, people change. Kids grow up. I feel like it was yesterday when I held my baby for the first time in the hospital. She started kindergarten this year. She did go to preschool or nursery school for the past 3 years. So, school is not a new term or environment for her or me. But, all of a sudden things have changed. She would come and ask me for help with something before. My dialogue would be "You are a big girl now, try to do it yourself" (I am not a mean mother, but encourage...

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5:24
The Ultimate Vegetarian Burger
» ‎ Fun and Food

Who doesn't like Burgers, right? And as the Labor Day BBQ's are right around the corner, I'm sure everyone is looking for a unique recipe to impress friends and family this coming weekend. If a Vegetarian Burger fits your menu, then you'll be happy to find this perfect low-fat veggie burger recipe which also stars a secret ingredient - Chocolate!! Yes, you heard it right, a burger recipe with chocolate in the mix?! You have got to try this out, whether you like vegetarian food or not! Check out...

Please Click the Title for the Full Post

5:06
Curd Idiyappam – Yogurt Steamed Rice Noodles
» ‎ Spicy Tasty
We love to have curd in everything. Like Curd semiya, Curd Idiyappam is also different and will be tasty.

Preparation time: 10 minutes (excluding Idiyappam preparation)
No of Servings: 1-2
Spice level:1

Ingredients:
- Idiyappam – 2 cups
- Curd – 1/2 cup
- Milk – 1/2 cup
- Salt – to taste
For Seasoning:
- Oil – 1 tbsp
- Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
- Pearl Onions – 4 (finely chopped)
- Curry leaves – a few
- Coriander leaves – 1 tbsp
- Green chillies – 2( finely chopped)
- Ginger – 1/4″ (finely chopped)
Method of Preparation:
1. Mix all the ingredients like how we do for curd rice.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds.
3. Then add the curry leaves followed by the green chillies, ginger and the chopped onions.
4. Fry them till they turn pink and to the Idiyappam.
5. Add the coriander leaves and serve it with pickle.
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3:16
Lavender-Caramel Pots de CrèmeI smell ...
» ‎ spicyana

Lavender-Caramel Pots de Crème

I smell fall in the air, rains are back, looks like it is time to head indoors once again. Each season holds its own charm, but from a food blogger's perspective having pure natural sunlight around for more time is definitely an advantage. Summer is also a ‘props” bounty time, walk out and pluck a bunch of flowers and leaves from the patio or backyard and your photos shine!

We are back from a short but invigorating stay with friends at the coast. I still hear the ocean in my head, but it is time to get back to the usual, what else could do the trick than making a simple no fuss comfort dessert perfumed with home grown lavender blossoms!

Eggs 2 whole + 1 yolk
Evaporated milk 1 cup
Milk 1 cup
Sugar ¾ cup + 2 tsp
Dried lavender blooms ¼ tsp

Heat the oven to 325oC
Heat two tsp sugar in a thick bottomed pan till it is golden brown.

Turn the heat to low and add couple of tablespoons of milk, increase the heat and stir well till no caramelized sugar clumps remain.

Add the rest of the milk, evaporated milk and cook till the mixture boils, turn off the heat.

Add the lavender blooms; let it seep for about 10 minutes. Sieve the hot milk to remove the blooms.

In a bowl, beat sugar, eggs + yolk with a whisk, start adding the hot milk ¼ cup at a time beating thoroughly after each addition.

Divide the mixture between ramekins or Pots de Crème jars, till the ramekins are 3/4 th full. (Baby food jars works well too). Lift foam formed on the top using a clean paper towel or a spoon.

Keep the ramekins/jars in a casserole dish and keep in the oven. Pour hot water in the dish till the ramekins are about 3/4th immersed in water.

Bake for 30 minutes, remove from oven , let it cool at room temperature for half an hour, the Crème will be a bit wiggly in the middle, but it will set as it cools down.

Cover the crèmes with a plastic wrap and chill for 1-2 hours before you enjoy it.

August 31, 2010
20:48
KitchenAid 80297 Gourmet Essentials 10-Piece Nonstick Hard-Anodized Cookware Set for $139.28
» ‎ Spicy Tasty
Amazon has this wonderful deal for KitchenAid 80297 Gourmet Essentials 10-Piece Nonstick Hard-Anodized Cookware Set for $139.28.
- It has a 4.5 star customer rating
- Eligible for Free Shipping
- 10-piece cookware set includes 1-, 2-, and 3-quart covered saucepans; 8- and 10-inch skillets; 6-quart covered stockpot
- Heavy-gauge hard-anodized aluminum construction heats quickly and evenly
- Premium, scratch-resistant nonstick surface provides superior food release
- Dual-riveted stainless handles with silicone grips; break-resistant glass lids
- Pots and lids oven-safe to 400 degrees F; wash by hand; 1-year hassle-free replacement warranty
© Nithu for Spicy Tasty, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
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19:55
Indian Curry House - Restaurant Review Singapore
» ‎ For The Cook In Me

These pictures have been in my drafts for ages now. We went to Indian Curry House on East Coast Road for our second anniversary lunch. Yeah, I was super lazy so we had both lunch and dinner outside ;)
It was surprisingly easy to find with a little help from Google Maps.

We munched on the pepper papadoms and waited for our orders. Sadly, we weren't to hungry so the order was not big but we have gone back to this place several times and can certainly vouch for their food.

There's one thing you may not know about me. If I am in a restaurant in Singapore and they have Gobi Manchurian on the menu, I order it. Its a no-exception rule. What this means is, I know where they have the best Gobi Manchurians in the city and where they suck. You gotta love some of my obsessions, eh?
Indian Curry House makes a mean Gobi Manchurian. Its not the best but it definitely falls in the 75th percentile (hey! my mom paid a lot of money for my education and I did statistics for 3 years in my life, is got to count for something!)

Peas Pulao. Easily one of the best pulao I've had in Singapore. Unfortunately, I don't order pulao in every Indian restaurant I go to so my frame of reference is not as broad as it is for Gobi Manchurian but still, this was one good pulao. Cooked and spiced just right with the right amount of ghee.

Stuffed onion and paneer kulchas. Soft, spongy and really quite good. I wish they had added a bit more salt to the dough though.

This is TH's onion raita. He can be incredibly tam brahm at times. I mean, who orders raita in a restaurant? Seriously!

Both TH and I were pleasantly surprised with the food actually. We have gone back a few times and ordered different things (except the Gobi Manchurian - that stays on the list!), and have really liked it. The restaurant is also priced very reasonably.
Avg cost for 2: SGD 25-30
More details:
Indian Curry House27 Upper East Coast RoadCrescendo BuildingSingaporePh: +65 6442 09
They also have a restaurant in Singapore Expo, in front of Hall 4. Please note that the food is more expensive in the Expo branch and the biryani is too spicy. Thanks much.

13:47
Cooking School: Beef Stroganoff
» ‎ What's For Lunch Honey?

The desires of our culinary cravings is ostensibly so dependent on the weather outside. It was just a mere few weeks that I was preparing leafy green salads with strawberries or raspberries and delicious summery tarts with tomatoes and crumblings of goat cheese. Now as the weather...

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10:52
Tender Chili Fry
» ‎ Talimpu

Putnala Pappu Mirapakayalu. This is a dry version of green chilli fry. Tender green chillies are fried in oil till golden brown. Then ground roasted gram / gulla senaga pappu is added just before...

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10:52
Tender Chili Fry
» ‎ Talimpu

Putnala Pappu Mirapakayalu. This is a dry version of green chilli fry. Tender green chillies are fried in oil till golden brown. Then ground roasted gram / gulla senaga pappu is added just before...

Read the rest of the talimpu recipe @ www.talimpu.com

8:42
Blackboard Bistro, West Seattle
» ‎ Live to Eat

Blackboard Bistro was opened early this August in West Seattle with an innovative concept – “Name your price” tasting menu. Guests can decide the amount that they want to pay per person and the Chef will send out dishes until the budget is reached. Also, they have no printed menus, the menus are written on [...]

6:30
Wheat Flour Laddoo (Poori Idicha Unde)!!
» ‎ Stories from an Indian Kitchen!!

Here comes another traditional sweet that my mother made. We call it 'Poori Idicha Unde'. It is very similar to wheat flour laddoo except that we make pooris and then use those pooris to make the laddoo. You might say that why do this extra work when you can just roast the wheat flour and mix it with sugar and make laddoos. Taste of these laddoos is different compared with the plain whole wheat flour laddoo. Not many people know about this sweet and that prompted me to blog about...

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6:14
don't lose your mind, lose your weight
» ‎ Lulu Loves Bombay

image courtesy: http://www.rujutadiwekar.com

i was super curious about how kareena kapoor managed to achieve an amazing figure. so i picked up rujuta diwekar's book about how to lose weight by following four simple principles. it was a breezy read (though there isn't a whole lot about kareena per se) and i finished reading it in under two hours but the principles have been anything but simple to follow! pick it up for a quick refresher nutrition and how to adopt a healthier lifestyle. rujuta has a very refreshing voice and her inspirational, facts-based, call-to-action style makes you want to make the switch. easier said than done though!

principle 1: never wake up to tea or coffee
"so the foundation to a great body is laid by what you eat and drink (or not) within the first ten to fifteen minutes of waking up."

principle 2: eat every 2 hours
"we may get driven in or drive big cars, have huge houses, designer clothes, LV bags and jimmy choo shoesm but we don't pay the same attention to our stomach, which is collecting fat for survival and always stressed about its next meal. so make time and connect with your stomach. food is the way to do it."

principle 3: eat more when you are more active and less when you are less active
"we get fat only because we don't give a damn about what the stomach needs, and load or unload it according to our convenience. if deprivation of food is punishment then overeating is a crime."

principle 4: finish your last meal at least 2 hours prior to sleeping
"remember, digesting food is a calorie burner and work for the body. in the night, cells are naturally not very sensitive to energy or nutrients as they don't really need much so if you overload your stomach most of it will get wasted or converted to fat. you may eat the healthiest of food but the body has to be in a mood to digest and absorb nutrients from it".

how do you rate yourself on these principles? i'm hopelessly inconsistent...

4:40
Paneer Makhani
» ‎ My Kitchen Treasures

Paneer Makhani

1:41
Party Treats Roundup
» ‎ S A R A' S C O R N E R

Dear Friends, Thank you for the participation and sending in your entries for my MM-Party Treats event. I have received 93 entries, thanks for making it successful. I would like thank Meeta for giving me the opportunity for hosting the event. Do checkout my other event roundups here and also do drop in my Sara Food Events Blog and post your event. I am posting the Roundup here.

August 30, 2010
22:21
NUTRITION TIP OF THE WEEK
» ‎ IN LOVE WITH FOOD

DOUBLE CLICK ON ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE

20:04
Badam Beerakaaya (Almond Turia)
» ‎ Mahanandi

The badam-beerakaaya combination is a new recipe that I have come up with the beerakaaaya harvest. This recipe really concentrates the flavor and brings out the sweetness of both beerakaaya and badam. Dice the beerakaaya, saute and add ground badam paste. Simple vegetable curry with some protein profile, badam-beerakaaya makes a delicious filler for chapatis [...]

19:26
Food on the Road - Simple Potato stir fry with green chilies and onions
» ‎ Daily Musings

Most domestic airlines charge special fees where ever they can. Now that we have gotten used to buying/packing our own food to take on the plane we are hit with having to pay for checked baggage. The...

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18:07
Swiss Chard Avial (Curry)
» ‎ Spicy Tasty
Recently I started eating lot of greens. And I have been trying different recipes using greens. I adapted this recipe from YummyOYummy blog by yummy team. I made a few changes and tried it out. It came out really good.

Ingredients:
- Swiss chard white : 1 Bunch
- Onions : 1 (Medium) (Finely Chopped)
- Green Chilies : 3-4 ( According to your spice level)
- Oil : 1 tbsp
- Cumin seeds : 1/2 tsp
- Turmeric Powder : 1/4 tsp
- Chili Powder : 1 tsp
- Grated Coconut : 1/4 cup
- Salt : to taste
- Curry Leaves : 4-5
Method Of Preparation:
1. Grind coconut with cumin seeds into smooth paste and put it aside.
2. Now wash the greens and chop them, also chop the stems into fine pieces.
3. Now in wide pan add the chopped onions and fry them for few minutes.
4. After that add chard leaves and stem.
5. Just sprinkle some water on top of them add salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, curry leaves and green chilies. Cover them with lid and let it sit in the heat for few minutes.
6. When the above mixture is cooked add the ground coconut mixture into it. Mix it well.
7. Cover the lid and let it sit in the heat for 10 minutes or until it gets cooked fully.
8. Serve it hot with rice or chapathi.
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17:07
The Original Shravani Cake
» ‎ Anna Parabrahma

My Mother's way

Ingredients

1 cup roasted semolina1 cup curd1/4 cup milk1/2 cup sugar or more 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2-3 cardamoms powdered

Mix all the ingredients together till sugar dissolves. Steam in a greased cooker pan, use ghee for the divine smell.

Steam in a cooker for 20 mins or till knife inserted comes out dry. Cut into squares. Serve cooled.

The other versions

Shravani Cake (Baked version)
Pineapple Shravani CakeAll material on this blog is Copyright © 2006, 2007 to Anna Parabrahma

16:10
Cashew Pakoda
» ‎ Essence Of Andhra
Hi friends, I am back from my long vacation. Hope you all had a great summer. I had a great time with family in India.
After a long gap, today I am posting a simple snack item that requires very little effort and taste so delicious.

Ingredients:
- 1 cup Cashews, whole or halved
- 1 cup Chickpea Flour (Senagapindi, Besan)
- 1 tsp Red Chili Powder
- A pinch of Soda
- Salt
- Oil for deep frying
- 1 tsp Ghee to roast cashews
Preparation:

Roast cashews in hot ghee until they turn golden brown in color. Keep aside.
Mix besan + chili powder + soda together. Add fried cashews to the besan mixture and mix well. Add salt and make a thick batter by adding very little amount of water.
Pour oil in a deep skillet and heat. Then take small portions of the batter and drop carefully into the hot oil.
Fry until the pakodas become golden brown in color and remove from the oil and spread out on a paper towel to remove excess oil.
Repeat the same process with remaining batter.
Enjoy these yummy and crunchy pakodas with a cup of coffee/tea.

13:13
Oatmeal, Dates & Raisin Cookies
» ‎ Marias Menu
Have you ever noticed a goat or a cow grazing? There is something common….those two animals keep chewing all the time. Seems like I have something in common with them :) Oh yes, I’ve told you several times about how I like to munch something every now and then. Can you believe it when I say that I start raiding my kitchen cupboards for some snacks after 10 mins of having BF or lunch? These days I find it really hard to resist the temptations especially when my FB newsfeed is always updated with some beautiful food snaps. Ok leave the internet and switch on the TV, almost every other channel is loaded with cookery shows, doesn’t look good, what about reading something and there again you can see some food pics, sigh! It feels like the Universe is conspiring for me to give into the temptation ;)

Usually I end up with some junk food for munching, but after some time I feel guilty and forcefully eat some supposed-to-be health bars and what not! I only wish that these health bars suppressed my munching temptation… but the effect is more depressing. I don’t like the taste of all this healthy crap and that’s when I realised how I miss those unhealthy flavoured junk food and stuff myself with the double the amount of junk. So much for trying to eat healthy.

When I posted this eggless cinnamon recipe here, I never ever thought it would be one of the most popular recipes in the site. Because its a general tendency that we associate healthy food with awful taste, yep – I also do that. But that recipe was a revelation to me that healthy stuff can be tasty too and yes I’m sure there are other recipes also of the same category. This is one such recipe. Though the name of this cookie is Oatmeal & Raisin & Dates cookie, I re-christened it as Healthy Cookie. Yep, if you go through the ingredients, you’ll know it. I’ve customised the original recipe to make a healthier version.

Another thing I liked about the recipe is that, its quite filling. Also its a good way to incorporate oats in your diet. The cookie has a soft cakey texture with a slightly crusted top.

So shall we go ahead and bake some healthy cookies?

Here is the recipe:
1. Wheat flour (atta) – 1 1/4 cups + 2 tbsp
  Oats – 1 1/2 cups
  Baking powder – 1/2 tsp, slightly heaped
  Baking soda – 1/2 tsp, slightly heaped
  Soft light brown sugar – 1/2 cup, firmly packed
  Raisins – 1/4 cup, heaped
  Dates – 3/4 cup, chopped
  Chocolate Chips – 1-2 tbsp, (optional)
2. Vegetable Oil – 3/4 cup ( I used sunflower oil)
  Egg – 1, lightly beaten
  Milk – 5 tbsp
Preheat the oven to 180 C/ 375 F, 10 mins before baking. Lightly oil a baking sheet.

Mix together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, raisins, chocolate chips and dates in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix the egg, oil & milk together. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the egg mixture. Mix the mixture together well with either a fork or a whisk or a wooden spoon to make a soft but not sticky dough.

Place spoonfuls of the dough well apart on the piled baking sheet and flatten the tops down slightly with a fork. Transfer the biscuits to a preheated oven and bake for 10 -12 mins until golden. Remove from the oven, leave to cool for 2-3 mins, then transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to cool, Serve when cold or store in an airtight container. I got 18 cookies with the above qty.

Notes: You can also use plain flour or wholemeal flour instead of atta. I stored the cookie for 1 week @ room temperature in an airtight container. I used an ice cream scoop to drop the cookie dough on to the baking sheet. I lined the baking sheet with al.foil & baking paper.

Eggless version: Though I haven’t tried it yet, I’m guessing you can substitute the egg with some pureed banana. If you happen to try the eggless version, please do let me know.

Substitute for brown sugar: 1 Cup light brown sugar =

1 cup (215 grams) raw sugar

1 cup (200 grams) white granulated sugar

1 cup (200 grams) white granulated sugar plus 1/4 cup (60 ml) unsulfured light molasses

For light brown sugar – substitute 1/2 cup (110 grams) dark brown sugar plus 1/2 cup (100 grams) white granulated sugar ( source: joy of baking)

Why not leave a comment? Quick, head on over to MariasMenu.com for more tasty, delicious and simple recipes! Remember to check out the Recipe Index to find some easy-to-cook dishes. Don’t forget to tell your friends and family about MariasMenu!

12:28
Through Thick and Thin
» ‎ Indian Food Rocks
Downtown Louisville has a character of its own. It's quiet and peaceful for the most part although lately, it seems to be more like that slumbering giant, slowly being shaken awake. The city comes to life once the sun takes a more westward turn. Until then, its quirkiness is on display for those who choose to walk through its quiet streets and alleys. One thing that can't be doubted though, is that we are a welcoming lot. So welcoming that sometimes we put our couches outside the house.

Drive-by shooting
While I don't have any couches in my frontyard for a weary runner, bicyclist or walker to put their feet up for a while, a welcome to my home is usually in the form of idli-sambar-chutney, instead of the ubiquitous pohe. And, I have to wonder why that is the case when pohe (po-hay) is a rice dish that can be served at any time of the day or for that matter, for any occasion! Someone drops in for tea, make pohe. Too exhausted to make dinner? Make pohe. Diwali feast? Yes, pohe have to be on the menu. That well-groomed green-card-equipped engineer from the US dropping by to see if you are pretty enough to marry? Your mother insists you must make pohe. Or, she makes pohe and passes it off as your doing, while the prospective groom watches closely as you walk across the room without tripping, to confirm that you have no limp and that you are not blind.

I've often wondered why pohe was such an important part of that last ritual until it dawned on me that if a girl can make pohe, she has some of the basics in place and will be able to feed her family most of the time, even if they get bored with the same ol' same ol'.

Off I went to my pantry in order to be a true welcoming Maharashtrian girl and finally understood why pohe was not on my menu as often as it should be. Three bags of thin pohe and not a single bag of thick pohe.

Look closely; they're both Poha thi-
Those darned dancing people are the same and while the packet may be color-coded, I see Poha thi- and I grab it thinking I have bought the kind of pohe I need to make pohe. (That's another thing you have to bend your mind around if you're new to pohe: the uncooked flattened rice is called pohe and the cooked savory dish is also called pohe.) It's only when I get home that I realize that the thi- fooled me yet again and I add to my pile of thin pohe.

So why do they write poha on the packages? Because in Hindi and in Gujarati, it is poha. Even powa and pauwa. In Marathi, it is pohe. I am biased but I think it sounds nicer. Thin pohe can be put to very good use: to make chivda, of course. It is now Kitt's job to show up for Diwali celebrations with a truckload of chivda. Yep, I'm looking at you, Kitt, for this year's party, too!

The thin and the thick
Don't you have enough of those already? was thrown loosely in my direction when I finally bought the right kind of pohe. I was in a good mood else three of the older packets would have suddenly become air-borne with a trajectory aimed suspiciously towards the general area from whence that voice emanated.

I've come across a few sites that have thin pohe in their ingredient list for pohe. Please. No. There are others that don't mention the kind of pohe you need. Thick. Most of the recipes are called kanda / kande pohe because they have onions. Only in dire circumstances do I ever make pohe without onions so I drop that qualifier.

When I make pohe, I make a fairly large amount. It feeds us for at least two meals and a tea-time snack should anyone feel the need to dig in.

Pohe

Yum! Pohe!
- 6 cups thick pohe or flattened rice
- 6 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- pinch asafetida
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 5-6 hot green chillies, chopped
- 7-8 curry leaves
- 1/4 tsp + 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 cup onion, chopped fine
- 1 cup potatoes, chopped fine
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- juice of 1 lime
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
- salt to taste
Most of the ingredients
1. Place the pohe in a colander and rinse in cool water. Drain well and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a kadhai and when hot, add mustard seeds.
3. When the mustard seeds do the dance of life, add asafetida followed by cumin seeds.
4. Add green chillies and curry leaves and cover the kadhai to avoid oil getting all over your stove. Turn the heat down.
5. When things have calmed down some, uncover and add 1/4 tsp turmeric powder. Also add chopped onions and cook until they have softened.
6. Next, add chopped potatoes, grated ginger, a dash of lime and salt to taste. What you have here is your main masala. This needs to be spicy enough to carry the flavors through the entire batch of pohe. It needs to be very spicy.
  
  Your main masala
7. Cover and cook on medium-low until the potatoes are cooked through.
8. While the spicy mixture is cooking, break up any clumps that may have formed in the soaked pohe. To this, add 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp sugar, lime juice and salt to taste and toss to mix well.
  
  Soaked pohe
9. Add the pohe to the mixture in the kadhai in three parts, mixing well after adding each part. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if necessary.
10. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for about 7-10 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld well.
11. Either garnish with chopped cilantro or mix the cilantro into the pohe. Serve hot with tea.
Notes:
1. My mother used to say "one fistful of pohe for each person, if there are other dishes; two fistfuls if that's all you're eating." Her hands were teeny but that ratio still holds. Six cups are just right for us to eat over two meals and six cups was just right for our Diwali party last year.
2. More oil always makes everything taste better and so in this case, too. I use as many tablespoons of oil as cups of pohe when I am cooking for a crowd. When I cook for us, I halve that number. I add about 1/4 cup of water to the potatoes to help them cook faster. When I do this, the pohe always taste better when they are just made than they do the next day. I sprinkle them with warm water before re-heating to moisten them up a bit. That helps some but not as much as using the additional oil would have.
3. I used eight chillies in these pohe and they were still not spicy enough. I couldn't believe it either!
4. Traditionally, pohe is served with a wedge of lime but I find it more convenient to add the lime to the soaked pohe and do away with flying wedges at the table and squirting lime juice in someone's eyes.
5. I like to add spicy sev, especially bhujia sev, to my pohe for an extra zing and a crunch.
6. Fresh grated coconut is often used to garnish pohe.
What's that you say? Speak up because I can't hear you? Tea party? I have no clue what you are on about. But I did put my brushes down for a bit, even if figuratively so; poured myself a freshly brewed cup of tea which I enjoyed with a bowl of pohe, dressed with bhujia sev.

Bliss!
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If you reproduce my recipes anywhere, please ensure that you give credit to the source:
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Recipe: means a set of directions with a list of ingredients for preparing something, especially food. It does not include my pictures or the content around the recipe.

11:09
6 Cup Burfi not 7 Cup Burfi (Chickpea flour Fudge)!!
» ‎ Stories from an Indian Kitchen!!

Here comes the second sweet that I made for Krishna Jayanthi that is on this Wednesday. If you are Indian, you probably know about this sweet especially if you are from South India. I first ate this at a friend's place in India. I was very impressed by this sweet since it had a melt in mouth feel and it took lot less ghee than Mysore Pak which is really a heavenly Indian Dessert. I like it so much that I am afraid to make it for the fear of eating too much. Even little is too much for me since...

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11:04
YRTML IV - Vegetable Biryani & Mango Banana Smoothie
» ‎ Siri's Corner

9:57
Vegetable Vermicelli Upma
» ‎ Talimpu

Semya Upma. Vermicelli is boiled in water till just soft and fluffy. All the vegetables are chopped up and cooked in tempered oil till done. Finally vermicelli is added to the vegetables and briefly...

Read the rest of the talimpu recipe @ www.talimpu.com

9:57
Vegetable Vermicelli Upma
» ‎ Talimpu

Semya Upma. Vermicelli is boiled in water till just soft and fluffy. All the vegetables are chopped up and cooked in tempered oil till done. Finally vermicelli is added to the vegetables and briefly...

Read the rest of the talimpu recipe @ www.talimpu.com
9:57
Vegetable Vermicelli Upma
» ‎ Talimpu

Semya Upma. Vermicelli is boiled in water till just soft and fluffy. All the vegetables are chopped up and cooked in tempered oil till done. Finally vermicelli is added to the vegetables and briefly cooked till it absorbs all the flavors. Serve vermicelli upma with a glass of buttermilk. Makes: around 3 Servings of Vegetable Vermicelli Upma. Ingredients: Vermicelli [...]

7:27
Coconut Barfi/Burfi/Fudge!!
» ‎ Stories from an Indian Kitchen!!

This Wednesday is 'Krishna Janmashtami' or the birthday of Lord Krishna. It is probably the biggest celebration of the year for my family. I remember my mother starting to make flours for making different savory fried dishes 2 weeks before the day. Then, one week before the festival day, she would start making sweet dishes. It used to be fun for me to count how many dishes she made and then brag about it in the neighborhood. My mother used to make enough to give to everyone. The next day of the...

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5:50
Indian Style Chicken Meatball -- baked and frozen
» ‎ Bong Mom's CookBook

I am a hypocrite. I eat meat and yet I am queasy to discuss it's source. I am fine picking up a tray of frozen chicken legs, which look so pale and white and detached sitting besides the tray of chicken nuggets that you would doubt they ever belonged to any creature roaming the face of earth.And all this when I spent a good chunk of my years in a country where we never went to air-conditioned

3:09
Breakfast with Toast and Scrabbled Egg & Potato
» ‎ Simply Spicy

Having an omelet or scrambled eggs with toast or bread is a quick breakfast to fix. Now add some potatoes and scramble the eggs for a difference. You will get a more hearty breakfast, that is delicious and filling. Ingredients4 - Eggs2 medium - Potatoes, boiled & cut to small pieces2 to 3 - Shallots/ small onions, chopped3 to 4 - Green chili, chopped1/8 to 1/4 tsp - Turmeric powder1/4 to 1/2 cup

2:48
Kaayappola / Pazhappola / Egg and Banana Sweet
» ‎ Simple and Delicious !

Few ingredients and a wonderful dish! Once you have, you will crave for it...This is also known mutta marichathu in Malabar. Don't know what is the difference between kayappola and mutta marichathu, hope some experts could help.. :) Try using non stick pressure cookers or pans while preparing this to avoid sticking to the pans.Am little busy, thats why not responding to your queries, please bear

1:55
Sakkiram Podichinti / Powdered Murukku with Sugar and Coconut
» ‎ For The Cook In Me

I am fooling you guys on a Monday. This is not a recipe. This is not even normal, I think.

Flashback: my brother does weird things with his evening snacks. When the rest of dunk biscuits in tea, he would put two spoons of peanuts mixture in his tea (that's right, inside his tea) and then drink it up, finally using a spoon to scoop out the sodden mixture bits. As grossed out as I used to be with that, sakkiram podichinti is a brilliant concoction of his.

These are usually round when whole but a lot of them break during transit

Sakkiram is reddiar murukku. Its made primarily with rice flour and is hand-made through and through. The spiralling design is done by hand and no mould or press can give you that shape. I will post the recipe and how its made soon, but today, here's my brother's whacky snack idea.

Throw 4 murukku broken into pieces, 1 tbsp grated coconut and 2-3tsp sugar in a mixer bowl.

Powder it until you get a mixture like so.

Scrape out the sides - the stuff sticking to the side is the best - and transfer to a bowl.

Eat with hot tea or coffee as a snack. If you add more coconut, you can probably make these into balls. We have never bothered!

Update: I called up the brother now to ask how he came up with this idea and he says, our great grandmother used to make this for our grandfather (her son in law, btw) since he lost all his teeth at a pretty young age and never got false teeth. Of course, she never used a Sumeet mixie for it but relied on a pestle and mortar to coarsely grind the murukku as an evening snack for her son in law, but that's where the idea originated from!

August 29, 2010
22:38
Kappa Beef Biryani (Beef with Tapioca/Cassava)
» ‎ Live to Eat

If you watched Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations – Kerala episode last month on the Travel Channel, you might have seen Tony sampling beef biryani from a street side vendor in Kerala. I don’t know about you, but ever since I saw that episode, I’ve been having major cravings for this dish and finally got around [...]

21:32
Go Green -Corriander & Pudina Rice
» ‎ Sreelu's Tasty Travels

Go Green- Coriander & Pudina Rice
Its been a while since I have updated my blog, I truly miss blogging if only there were 48hrs how I wish for that . I seriously had to make a choice and prioritize my tasks and within the parameters I have blogging sure was pushed down. Never the less every opportunity read it as few minutes of spare time I find I get started on blogging.
Had friends over the weekend and truly had a very fun evening. Thank god for we choose our friends and company we keep and I feel blessed to have chosen few very special people in my life.
Schools back on and activities are back on full swing, between chauffeuring kids to school and activities and events over the weekend hardly get time to breathe and take in a minute without an agenda.
I just couldn't resist fresh greens in desi stores spinach, methi, gongura, cilantro. Picked few bunches of all the above. My mom always whipped up quite few varieties of rices with fresh greens and so today's recipe is an inspiration from her.
Ingredients
2 bunches of fresh cilantro
1 cup fresh pudina
1 cup green peas ( I used frozen peas and carrot in today's recipe)
2-3 green chilies
2 tbsp of ginger finely grated
1 1/2 cups of basmati rice
2-3 bay leaves
6-8 cloves
about 10-15 pepper corns
star annise
tbsp of jeera
tbsp of garam masala (optional)
2 tbsp of butter
2-3 tbsp of oil.

Process
1. Chop coriander and pudina finely.

2. Heat about a tbsp of oil in a pan and add chopped cilantro and pudina and allow to fry for about 2-3 minutes.
3. Transfer contents into a blender and pulse into a fine paste.

4. Now add remain oil in the same pan, add ginger,cloves,pepper corns, bay leaves, star annise, jeera and garam masala and saute till you get a nice aroma take about 1-2 minutes.

5. Add peas and carrot and saute for a minute.
6. Add coriander paste and saute for about a minute.
7. To the above add washed basmati rice and mix till rice grains are well coated.
Add salt according to taste and saute for about 1-2 minutes
8. transfer contents into rice cooker and add about 2 1/2 cups of water(check instructions according to rice)

Few minutes into cooking aroma fills the house , be gentle with rice and do not toss too much as it break. I love when rice grains stand out and are dry. Allow to cool and then give it a gentle toss. Serve with raita and enjoy !!

21:25
Uzhunnappam - A local specialty from the scenic village of Kodanadu
» ‎ Mishmash !

Uzhunnappam - A local specialty from the scenic village of Kodanadu

21:12
Sweet Corn Halwa for Krishna Janmashtami
» ‎ N e i v e d y a m

I wish all Neivedyam visitors a very happy Krishna Janmashtami!!
I am posting this in advance as I will be very busy decorating my kids as little Krishnas:)

Ingredients

1 cup sweet corn (frozen or fresh- Boiled and pureed)
3-4 tbsp ghee
dry fruits for garnish
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup Khoya
3-4 tbsp milk (optional)
1/2 tsp cardamom powder

Preparation

Heat a pan and add 1tsp ghee. To this add raisins, cashew nuts and almonds. Saute well and set aside. In the same pan add 2 tbsp ghee and sweet corn puree. Let it cook for a minute. To this add sugar, milk, khoya, cardamom powder and 1 tbsp ghee. If you do not get good khoya, you can add plain sweet pedas and reduce the sugar content. When the mixture cooks and leaves the sides of the pan, remove from heat and garnish with dry fruits and serve. This halwa is very healthy for kids.

Sending this to Kids Delight by Pari

Neivedyam is a food blog full of innovative recipes.I wanted a traditional and ethnic name for my blog, which will represent not only food, but also the Indian culture and values in just a word and so was the name "NEIVEDYAM" born. Couldn’t find anything better. NEIVEDYAM means "Prasadam" the sacred Food offered to God. This blog has state-wise specialities and festive foods from India and International fusions too.

20:23
Ice-cream Petit Fours – Daring Bakers Challenge
» ‎ Finger Licking Food

Ice-cream Petit Fours – Daring Bakers Challenge

17:02
Dressing Up For Alms
» ‎ Anna Parabrahma

I heard a beautiful voice in the distant and was drawn to the window. This streetwalker was dressed in a colorful costume, probably the character of Jambavanth or Hanuman. The green color confused me completely and he did not turn enough for me to see his face. Wondering if these are indigenous artist resorting to this changed approach to earning a living or is it just a clever beggar.All material on this blog is Copyright © 2006, 2007 to Anna Parabrahma

13:57
Burger Buns
» ‎ Cook's Hideout
With Summer almost coming to an end with the upcoming Labor day weekend here in the U.S., I wanted to post the recipes I made this summer. Some of them are great for backyard grilling parties and some like these Burger buns are fun to make anytime of the year.

After a lot of deliberations and thought we bought our first grille this summer. We wanted to buy a really small one since both my husband and I didn’t think veggie bbq needs anymore investment than that. But we ended up buying this 4 burner Grille master for $200. We had our first barbeque with family for 4th of July and everybody really enjoyed the food and the time together cooking and grilling (Yup.. this post has been on my drafts for more than a month now).

For our first ever BBQ I made these beautiful burger buns and they came out awesome, tasted way better than store bought. Recipe is from King Arthur flour and it is very easy to put together too.

Ingredients:
All purpose Flour – 1¾ cups
White Whole wheat flour – ¾ cup
Salt – 1¼ tsp
Sugar – ¼ cup
Yeast – 1tbsp
Butter – 2tbsp
Egg – 1 large, lightly beaten
Luke warm water – ¾ cup

Method:
- Combine flours, salt, sugar & yeast in a large mixing bowl.
- Melt butter and add along with egg to the flour mixture. Add water and mix until everything is well incorporated.
- Knead until it forms into soft, smooth dough. Cover and let rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
- Gently deflate the dough and divide into equal pieces. I was able to make 11 approximately equal sized rolls. Shape piece into a round 1” thick and flatten to about 3” across.
- Place the buns on a lightly greased baking sheet; cover and let rise for another 1 hour, until the buns are very puffy.
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF and bake the buns for 12-15 minutes until golden. Cool on rack.
These buns are perfect for burgers, but they also make great breakfast with some butter & jam..

11:19
Radish Stuffed Flatbread (Mooli Ke Parathe)
» ‎ Aayi's Recipes

We both love stuffed parathe. But it has been a long time I made any. Though I made parathe once in a while, I took the shortcut. I had one huge radish in the fridge which needed some immediate attention. A paratha with this was on my mind ever since I read this comment. So [...]

4:44
BB7: The Iron Chef Edition
» ‎ One Hot Stove

BB7: The Iron Chef Edition

4:07
Pesto Crepes
» ‎ Peppermill

One evening as I stopped by at my friend's place on the way back from work, she mentioned to me that she had a huge amount of basil and was wondering what to do with it. So as we chatted over coffee, I suggested she use it to make pesto and freeze it. So as I called out the ingredients, she made the pesto right then; she gave me the other half to take home and so I did the same as soon as I reached.

Very simple to make this pesto - basil, walnuts, garlic and olive oil. Thats all you need. Really. Once it was ready, I froze it in three separate boxes so I could pull them out as needed.

And thats what I did the next Sunday morning, using a recipe I had seen in Nigella Express. That recipe was for pesto crepes with ham. We don't really eat ham that much- so all I had was chicken sausages and after cutting them fine and lightly sauteeing them, I added them to the batter itself instead of rolling them up inside the pancakes as the recipe did with ham.

This recipe makes about 8 medium sized crepes or 5 large ones. Took me about 5 minutes to mix everything together, another 5 minutes to rest and then 12 minutes to make the crepes. I put some shredded cheese into them, just before rolling them up to serve, but you could also put the cheese into the batter itself. A really quick breakfast option and very very delicious. The pesto made the crepes very flavourful and you don't need anything to accompany them.

P.S - I've been doing some spring cleaning around the blog - on the right are updated links to some of my favourite blogs; still some more blogs to add.
I have also updated the Recipe Index - so please feel free to browse through older recipes and do let me know if you have any requests in a particular cuisine/meal/food group.

For the Pesto: (adapted from a Jacques Pepin recipe)

4 cups basil leaves
6 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin is good for this)
3/4 cup walnuts, lightly toasted
1 green chilli chopped
4 cloves garlic

1.Bring a vessel of salted water to boil and put the basil leaves into it for just 20 seconds. Drain and rinse in cold water. Pat dry slightly
2. Puree the basil leaves along with the walnuts, green chilli and garlic adding half of the olive oil at first and then the rest slowly.
3. Remove and freeze.

For the Crepes: (adapted from Nigella Express)
1/2 cup pesto
3/4 cup flour
1- 1 .5 cups milk
salt to taste
1 egg
pinch baking powder

1 sausage finely chopped and sauteed for 2 minutes
Grated cheese - 1 cup

1. Mix all the ingredients together (except baking powder, sausages and cheese) and blend till smooth.
2. Add chopped sausages and rest for 5 minutes.
3. Heat a griddle and put a few drops of oil or butter on it.
4. Pour a big ladle of batter on the pan and swirl till it spreads into a circle - if too thick, add some more milk.
5. Cook on a low medium flame for 3 - 4 minutes, then add some of the grated cheese in the middle and roll up with a spatula. Turn the roll over and cook for a minute before removing from flame.

Serve warm.

August 28, 2010
23:24
Ambada Dal
» ‎ Zaiqa

One green leafy vegetable that I missed dearly after leaving Hyderabad was Ambaday ki bhaji (in Urdu Language) or Hibiscus Cannabinus, also called as Gongura in Telugu. This sour tasting red stemmed leafy vegetable is an Andhra specialty. Ambaday ki bhaji Brimming with good nutrients these leaves are good for health. Rich in protein and low in [...]

19:32
The Loot from Sala
» ‎ For The Cook In Me

What I won is a book.

Image taken from Sala's site

But I ended up getting so much more!

Thanks Sala, for being one of the most generous people I know :)

17:11
Two Pizzas II: Onion Tomato Cheddar
» ‎ Anna Parabrahma

This version is with just Pizza base, Onion and tomato slices with Amul Cheddar cheese shredded over it and speckled with Oregano. Baked till the cheese bubbles into beautiful brown freckles @ 250 deg Celsius in a preheated oven. In 15 mins you get a wonderful one.

Cheddar is less fattier than Gouda.All material on this blog is Copyright © 2006, 2007 to Anna Parabrahma
16:40
Two Pizzas I: Baby Corn, Capsicum, Tomato, Gouda
» ‎ Anna Parabrahma

I used Pizza base from "Daily Bread" I avoided butter altogether. Layered the veggies, Capsicum slices, Tomatoes sliced into 8 pieces and Baby corn sliced on top. Sprinkled some crushed garlic. Finally covered with slices of Gouda cheese from Amul. In a pre-heated oven baked this pizza @ 250 deg centigrade till the base showed browning on the side and the cheese was completely molten, about 20 mins. Removed it from the oven and sprinkled with some dried rosemary and thyme.

The taste of a home baked pizza is always superlative. The large pieces of tomatoes tasted luscious. The gouda sealed the veggies perfectly onto the base and gave that effect of stretchy cheese we love to have on the pizza. I served it with ketchup as I had not used any sauce to spice up the pizza. What I noted was Gouda releases a lot of fat at high temperature making the pizza rich even though we have skipped butter or oil completely.
This series is for my colleague Seema as she revel in the pleasure of baking with her new LG microwave oven. All material on this blog is Copyright © 2006, 2007 to Anna Parabrahma

10:00
Garlicky Puffed Rice
» ‎ Talimpu

Velluli Maramaralu. Garlicky puffed rice is an instant and spicy snack to munch anytime of the day. Garlic is grated up and mixed with red chili powder and ghee. Puffed rice is tossed in with the...

Read the rest of the talimpu recipe @ www.talimpu.com

10:00
Garlicky Puffed Rice
» ‎ Talimpu

Velluli Maramaralu. Garlicky puffed rice is an instant and spicy snack to munch anytime of the day. Garlic is grated up and mixed with red chili powder and ghee. Puffed rice is tossed in with the...

Read the rest of the talimpu recipe @ www.talimpu.com

August 27, 2010
10:13
Spicy Cabbage with Cumin
» ‎ Talimpu

Cabbage Vepudu. Cabbage is chopped up and cooked in tempered oil till soft. A freshly blend of spices is made with cumin seeds and red chiles. Cooked cabbage is seasoned with the spice blend just...

Read the rest of the talimpu recipe @ www.talimpu.com

10:13
Spicy Cabbage with Cumin
» ‎ Talimpu

Cabbage Vepudu. Cabbage is chopped up and cooked in tempered oil till soft. A freshly blend of spices is made with cumin seeds and red chiles. Cooked cabbage is seasoned with the spice blend just...

Read the rest of the talimpu recipe @ www.talimpu.com

8:57
Yam Zucchini Curry!!
» ‎ Stories from an Indian Kitchen!!

From time to time, I re-organize my pantry and the cupboards. Even when I do this often, my kid keeps on pulling stuff and misplaces the items in the cupboards. There was such a day this week which made me spend a good 60 minutes going through pantry and the cupboards and placing the items properly. At the back of one of the cupboards sat a can of coconut milk which made me think about what was I cooking that day for lunch. I had yams on the counter, 3 zucchinis in the refrigerator that I was...

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8:52
Baked Potatoes | Boiling Vegetables in Microwave | Basics in Microwave
» ‎ Cooking 4 all Seasons

The morning rush hours really demand you be on toes with dishes are all planned. While I was proud that I was always planning my menu, there are days when I lax on them a bit. Also there are days when Konda never wants what I plan for her. I never thought there will be a day when she will refuse Dosa for any meal, but it has indeed happened!
So the breakfast dishes have taken a turn and really cause me so much tension, trying to make something that she will eat. These days she is got more fond of bread. So every other day its either Bread Pizza, Bread Jam, or any of the many things one can think with bread slices that a 9 year old can eat.
I also decided that she can't refuse Aloo Paratha for lunch. It at least twice a week, its either Aloo paratha or Paneer Paratha. Thats when I found the Microwave to be a blessing. All I need is a potato for the paratha. While it was such a tough job previously, trying to pressure cook it and fighting with it to get cooked on time, after finding out the ease with which one can boil/bake potatoes, I have never looked back!
Thanks to the Microwave Chef, I now have maximized the usage of Microwave to the next level! Aloo paratha gets done in flat 7 mins, yes I have timed it of course.
See this is how soft it turns out after being baked. Refer the Easy Aloo Paratha for this quick dish to be made.

Take the potatoes that you want to boil. Wash well and cut lightly with a knife. This is needed to ensure the potatoes don't burst out. The cuts can be a light strike through the potatoes.

For 1 medium potato I normally Micro for 4 mins. But with 4 big potatoes you can micro for total 7 - 8 minutes. Keep the potatoes on the turn top and set the timing.

Once done, the skin will shrink. You immediately place the potatoes in water for 2 mins and peel the skin. The skin peels off very easily when it is still warm. But be careful with the heat.

Potato peeling was very so easy! See how nicely it has come off.

The Baked Potato Patties were made faster this way!

The other vegetables that gets quickly boiled and saves loads of time are Drumstick and Arbi etc. These days almost all vegetables get boiled the same way.

Boiling Drumbstick for the Sambar, makes the job such a easy breezy thing!

Boiling Arbi / Colocasia is normally a tedious process as it takes a while to get boiled. But micro cooking does the job quite simple. All the Arbi dry sautes can be done so easily now.
All vegetables will have to be just immersed in water, no salt should be added while boiling. Micro for 10 mins. If you are unsure of the time, micro for 5 mins and increase gradually.

This naturally becomes an essential part of 365 days of Microwave Cooking!

Hope all of you are planning for the Potluck Party this month!, expecting you all there..

8:10
Macaroni and Cheese
» ‎ Spicy Tasty
Macaroni and Cheese also called Mac and Cheese is a well known dish and also a favorite dish among kids. Who doesn’t love cheese, specially kids? But if you are health conscious you can substitute some of the high calorie ingredients with low fat or non fat ones such as milk with skim milk and cheese with low fat cheese. It is always good to eat home made dishes, especially when it comes to high calorie food as we are aware of what we throw in and alter them if we need. I am not against outside food but I would prefer home food. Again I adapted this dish from Food Network and altered it a bit here and there to my style. Here you go…

Preparation time: 60 minutes

Spice level: 2 out of 5

No. of servings: 8 to 10

Ingredients:
- Elbow macaroni – 1 pound
- Olive oil – 4 tbsp
- Butter – 2 tbsp (I used “I can’t believe it’s not butter”)
- All purpose flour or maida – 6 tbsp
- White mustard powder – 2 tbsp
- Chopped onions – 1 cup
- Milk – 5 cups ( I used 2 cups of skim milk and 3 cups of 1% milk)
- Cheddar cheese – 1 1/2 cup
- Pepper Jack cheese – 1/2 cup
- Red chili flakes – 2 tbsp
- Bay leaves – 2
- Kosher salt – 2 tsp (adjust to taste)
- Black pepper – 1 tbsp
- Bread crumbs – 1 cup
- Unsalted butter – 2 tbsp
Method of Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
2. In a large pot bring water to boil and add some salt and a tbsp of olive oil and stir well.
3. Add macaroni shells and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and keep it aside.
4. Heat olive oil and 2 tbsp of butter in a sauce pan and add flour and mustard powder to make a paste.
5. Stir in milk, onions, bay leaves, red chili flakes and simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Remove the bay leaves and add a cup of cheddar cheese and the pepper jack cheese.
7. Season it with some salt and pepper and stir it for a couple of minutes.
8. Now stir in the cooked pasta shells and remove from heat.
9. Transfer the contests to a baking dish and top it with remaining cheddar cheese.
10. Heat 2 tbsp of unsalted butter in a pan and add bread crumbs and toss for a minute or two.
11. Now top the macaroni with the bread crumbs and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or till the corners starts bubbling and browning.
12. Remove from oven and serve after 5 minutes.
© Nithu for Spicy Tasty, 2010. | Permalink | 26 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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6:42
Cherupayar (Whole Green Gram) Payasam
» ‎ Spicy Chilly

It was a rainy Sunday morning while my aunt visited us with a container of this hot payasam.I was in Kottayam nursing mom, then.The Payasam that was served immediately in large bowls, tasted heaven!!..the cooked cherupayar melting in mouth with flavourful coconut milk and sweetness of jaggery with that distinct aroma of Kerala cuisine, the bits of coconut pieces to compliment...
I finished my bowl of payasam, hurried out for another bowl I could grab from the kitchen, flowers from the garden, saree from mom's wardrobe, bronze pan, camera and I was all set. :)..Click..Click...
So what next? write down the recipe! ;)
I found my aunt already in her level 2 conversation( progression to a serious mode from the lighter level 1 form;)) with my parents but couldn't help pestering her for the recipe.. ;)..after all a dad's sis can always be taken for granted, right? ;)
Hope you had a wonderful Onam. Belated Greetings to you all!I know I am a little late to post this delicacy, which I meant to post for the day. They say; better late than never!
so here's it..

Get ready with:
Whole Green Gram(Cheru payar)- 1 cup
Jaggery- 250 gm
Coconut milk- 4 cups
Cashew nuts, broken into halves and fried in ghee- a few
Coconut sliced into small pieces, fried in ghee -1 tsp
Cardamom powder- to flavour

How to Make it:
Fry the whole green gram in a hot pan. Cook the gram in 4 cups (more or less) of boiling water. In the meanwhile, boil and melt jaggery in 1/4 cup of water in a sauce pan. Cool and strain so as to remove the impurities. Keep aside.
When the gram has cooked soft, add the above jaggery syrup. Simmer the mixture until it turns thicker stirring all the while taking care not to burn the bottom. Remove from fire and mix in the coconut milk. Add the coconut pieces and cashew nuts. Bring it to a slow boil and turn off immediately not to let it simmer.Stir in the cardamom powder.
Serve warm Cherupayar Payasam with Onasadya.
The Payasam tastes great when chilled too (well, I love it this way :))

4:57
Vegan Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
» ‎ EgglessCooking

A few days back I stumbled upon a huge collection of vegan baking recipes in About.com and I’m hooked on to that section ever since. Most of the recipes are pretty simple to bake, do not call for unusual ingredients and are also healthy. So far I have tried this vegan oatmeal cranberry cookies and the vegan chocolate cake.

I’m not very excited about the chocolate cake recipe. It didn’t turn out as good as I expected (more about it in a separate post) but this oatmeal cookie recipe is definitely a keeper. Everybody in our house loved it so much. I’m so sure that I’m going to keep baking this recipe quite often. I wouldn’t change a thing about it. The sweetness was perfect, the spice level was right for us, the cranberries gave a nice flavor, the chopped pecans gave the cookies a nice crunch and the whole wheat flour did not affect the taste of the cookies.

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
Vegan Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies Vegan Margarine (I used Becel Vegan Spread) 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar 1/3 cup Brown Sugar (I used dark brown) 3/4 cup Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon Non Dairy Milk (I used almond milk) 1/2 cup Flour ( I used whole wheat flour) 1 cup Baking Soda 1/2 teaspoon Ground All Spice 3/4 teaspoon Quick Cooking Oats 3 cups Dried Cranberries 1 cup Pecans, chopped (optional, but I would recommend using) 1 cup
Yield: 40 cookies
Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 350F/180C for 15 minutes.

2. Cream together the margarine and sugars until smooth. Beat in the vanilla and milk.

3. Add the flour, baking soda and spice; mix well.

4. Stir in the oats, cranberries and pecans.

5. Spoon tablespoonful of dough on ungreased cookies sheets (see My Notes) and bake between 12-15 minutes or until done. I baked 20 cookies at a time on a big cookie sheet. If you are using 2 sheets at once, shift cookie sheets halfway through baking.

6. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and stand the cookies on the sheet itself for 2-3 minutes before transferring it to the cooling rack and let it cool completely.
My Notes:
1. The instructions in the original recipe mentions to bake the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet but I wasn’t able to lift off the cookies easily. So maybe you should try greasing it lightly. Also it did not mention to flatten the cookies, so for the first batch I just scooped the dough using a small ice cream scoop and the cookies didn’t flatten at all. I baked those cookies few extra minutes and they were more chewy. So for the 2nd batch I flattened the dough with the back of a fork and these cookies were crispy around the edges and chewy in the center.

2. Also adding nuts was optional but I would definitely recommend it because the cookies tasted awesome with the pecans.

3. I’m not much of a spice fan, so I have reduced the quantity of spice from 1 and 1/2 teaspoon to 3/4th and we liked the mellow flavor very much. Also check out the original recipe for the blend of spices used. Since I didn’t have all of it, I went with ground allspice.

4. I used Pillsbury brand whole wheat flour available in Indian grocery store.
Share and Enjoy: More »

4:38
Bake-Off(8/27/2010)
» ‎ Stories from an Indian Kitchen!!

Thanks to everyone for participating. If you want to know how to participate, read this. Next Bake-Off will be on '9/3/2010'. Bake-Off archive can be found here. Bread and Fruits Pudding from 'Faji's Hot Pot' Homemade Classic White Bread from 'Super Yummy Recipes' Marvelous Macaroons from 'Veggie Hut' Garlic Rolls from 'Taste of Pearl City' Beurre Noisette Pound cake from 'Oh Taste N See' Orange Yogurt cake from 'Cakes and More' Pita Pocket Bread...

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3:51
Dudh Maach -- a Milky Fish Curry
» ‎ Bong Mom's CookBook

Little Sis aka LS is not a gourmand. She might be a connoisseur of food. I am not exactly sure.Any time I sit down to feed her, she asks with utter contempt in her voice "Eta ki ?" (What is this ?). That question makes me extremely nervous. I have a feeling that she expects me to say "Lobster Thermidor" or some such thing. I cannot get myself to say it is just plain old "Khichuri" so I try to

2:03
Matcha Cherry Swirl Ice Cream – Guest Blogging
» ‎ What's For Lunch Honey?

Twitter is a waste of time, I am not going to deny it! But boy, do many of us spend an enormous amount of time on this sweet waste. While in front of the scenes we laugh and joke about so many things that move us, the really juicy stuff happens behind the scenes via Direct Message (DM). Then you...

[Read the rest of this post on my website]

0:51
Committing to be fit.
» ‎ jugalbandi

Whenever I feel like exercise, I lie down until the feeling passes. ~ Robert M. Hutchins Especially while travelling. How does one keep fit while confined to a cramped hotel room without any gear?

0:16
Restaurant Review – Masa’s, San Francisco
» ‎ Live to Eat

San Francisco is indeed a foodie’s paradise. Supposedly you can have breakfast, lunch and dinner outside everyday for three years before you have to repeat a place! How cool is that! It is one of the four North American cities that Michelin Guide ever considered worthy enough to rate. In fact for 2010, it is [...]

August 26, 2010
23:30
Baked Alaska Augus 2010 Daring Bakers Challenge
» ‎ My Kitchen Treasures

Baked Alaska Augus 2010 Daring Bakers Challenge

22:31
Ada Pradaman.. A Delicacy of Kerala
» ‎ Tangerine's Kitchen Hangout!

Onam last year was in Trivandrum, where I enjoyed the visual splendour of the city. This year I was with my family having a sadya prepared by my mother ofcourse. This is the day when an elaborate vegetarian meal is prepared. Note the vegetarian here. The meal or sadya ends with a payasam. And the payasam this year was made by yours truly who has never attempted one before. My inspiration tfor the payasam is from here. Maria's recipe worked like a charm here. I doubled the recipe and did not use coconut slices.

I have seen the house help in Kerala making this payasam. The way he set about doing it gave me an impression of it being a laborious journey. He made the ada from scratch. When it is Onam season, stores start setting up a section that caters to all that one needs to make a sadya. That is where I found packeted Ada. Now, Ada is basically made by soaking rice , dried and then ground to a fine powder. This is then made into a batter using ghee and sugar. It is then steamed. When they dry, they harden. So coming back to the payasam, this was indeed good. A little too sweet which calls for reducing the amount of jaggery. My first time at making this and the anticipation that it would turn out good was all compensated when there were hardly any leftovers and some of us didn't get a second helping!!!Subscribe to my space!

22:03
TEASEL GOURD FRY
» ‎ Aathidhyam

Simple, easy to prepare and very tasty fry.

TEASEL GOURD FRY ~ AKAKARAKAYA VEPUDU
INGREDIENTS

Teasel gourd - 1/2 kh (wash, wipe and halved)
Oil - 2 -3 tbsp
Salt - as per taste
Red chilli powder - as per taste
PROCEDURE-

Heat oil in a cooking vessel and fry teasel gourd pieces until golden brown in colour and crisp. Add salt and red chilli powder. Mix all the ingredients well and cook for 1-2 mins. Remove excess oil if any and then off the flame. Transfer the contents into a serving bowl. Serve hot with rice and a dollop of ghee. Ahhhhhhhhhh........... i wish i had my lunch on time. Bcoz of this night shift chakkar i m unable to do so and missing these things very badly.

14:44
Baked Apple Cinnamon & Goat Cheese Tart
» ‎ Fun and Food

Goat cheese, sometimes called chevre, is a cheese product made from the goat's milk. Goat cheeses can range in taste from strong and pungent, to delicate and mild, however, it does have a distinct tangy flavor which it inherits from the hormones in the goat's milk. The latter is much more similar to human milk than that of the cow, being much thinner, lower in fat, and higher in vitamin A and potassium. Hence Goat Cheese is also a healthy alternative to full-fat cheese like Cream cheese, and is...

Please Click the Title for the Full Post

14:25
Homecoming breakfast
» ‎ Anna Parabrahma

Goda masala and Kanda lasun chutney that Dad bought from Gondavale and a homecoming breakfast for him of Idli Chutney and Sheera.
At times I want just 4 Idlis for a quick serving. I have not cleaned the Idli stand for a breakfast of idli chutney, sambar or both. That's when I have started using the vatis/ bowls. In any pan I put water bring it to a boil. Fill the vatis with idli hittu and steam with cover lid. LO! you have idlis out in a jiffy and a stuffed tummy. Plus each time you have fresh steamed idlis. I am addicted to this tip. Sometimes I sprinkle some coconut oil over hot idlis in the bowl itself and powder them with chutney pudi. Then scoop up morsels with a spoon straight from the vati.
Come back again to see in what recipes I am using the Goda masala and Kanda lasun chutney I am teasing you with...All material on this blog is Copyright © 2006, 2007 to Anna Parabrahma

9:51
Cashew Brittle
» ‎ Talimpu

Jeedi Pappu Acchu. Jaggery is flavored with cardamom powder and made into thick syrup. Whole cashews are mixed with the jaggery syrup and poured onto a greased tray to solidify. It is then cut into...

Read the rest of the talimpu recipe @ www.talimpu.com

9:51
Cashew Brittle
» ‎ Talimpu

Jeedi Pappu Acchu. Jaggery is flavored with cardamom powder and made into thick syrup. Whole cashews are mixed with the jaggery syrup and poured onto a greased tray to solidify. It is then cut into...

Read the rest of the talimpu recipe @ www.talimpu.com

5:25
Tofu Crumble!!
» ‎ Stories from an Indian Kitchen!!

Are we having a 'Tofu' week on my blog this week? I don't think so. I just happened to try two dishes with tofu and here is the second one. When I visited one of my friend's places recently, she had made edamame stir fry or palya using 'morning star veggie crumbles'. Her process was very simple. Stir fry the edamame or any other non-watery veggies in some oil, add the veggie crumble (You can get it in freezer isle I believe), add salt and some spice powder to it and that's it. She also told me...

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5:02
BB6 Mega-Potluck: I hope you're hungry!
» ‎ One Hot Stove

BB6 Mega-Potluck: I hope you're hungry!

2:00
Baby corn-mint soup
» ‎ N e i v e d y a m

Ingredients
1 cup peas fresh or frozen (Boiled and pureed)
1-2 garlic cloves finely sliced
2-3 baby corn sliced
1-2 mint sprig
2 tsp butter
salt to taste
1/2 tsp pepper powder

Preparation

Heat a pan. To this add butter and garlic to saute well.Add corn slices and saute for 2-3 minutes.Add the peas puree and bring to boil. If the mixture is thick, add some water to bring a soup like consistency. Add salt and pepper.
Add chopped mint leaves and bring to boil.
If you wish you can add fresh cream to garnish.(optional)
Serve hot.

Crispy Baby-corn stir fry..

This recipe is the same as Mushroom stir fry. My kids are big fan of baby corn and mushrooms. These two are a must have in my fridge. I use both mushrooms and babycorn as toppings on dosas.
Sending these to Kids delight by Pari

Neivedyam is a food blog full of innovative recipes.I wanted a traditional and ethnic name for my blog, which will represent not only food, but also the Indian culture and values in just a word and so was the name "NEIVEDYAM" born. Couldn’t find anything better. NEIVEDYAM means "Prasadam" the sacred Food offered to God. This blog has state-wise specialities and festive foods from India and International fusions too.

1:27
Top 5 Under 15 Mins Recipes on The Recipe Diary
» ‎ For The Cook In Me

These Thursday lists are turning out to be fun. Thank you so much for the good feedback you sent / keep sending my way on The Recipe Diary. Your contributions are welcomed with thanks!

Here are the top 5 recipes on the site that need under 15 mins to prepare:

1. Idli uma with idli podi by Anuradha
2. Leftover rice cutlets by Supriya
3. Potato chips frittata muffins by Siri
4. Peanut chutney by Lubna
5. Pista cake in 10 mins by Mahimaa

If you have any super nice 15 min meal or dish you'd like to share, please submit your recipes here. Huge thanks to all the contributors so far!

0:10
Hope you appreciate my benevolence
» ‎ jugalbandi

... towards my subjects.

August 25, 2010
18:35
Garden Update - August Rule
» ‎ Daily Musings

August is by far the most rewarding in the vegetable garden. Most vegetables are starting to fruit and the tomatoes are ripening and everyday there is a few to be picked. I am seeing bitter gourd,...

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18:07
bombay food blogger: sunshinemom
» ‎ Lulu Loves Bombay

image courtesy: harini's blog

harini, sunshinemom, writes a lovely vegan food blog called tongue ticklers that is a real treasure trove of recipes. she has a nice storytelling style and very professional photography. dig deep into her archives and you'll be amazed by how much she's cooked up and blogged about. i very much enjoyed meeting harini in person at the bombay food bloggers dinner. enjoy her blog!

15:03
Belgian Yeast Waffles and a Product Review
» ‎ Cook's Hideout
I love to have a hearty breakfast especially over the weekends. But it so happens that every weekend morning we are either running around to finish errands or wake up too late to have breakfast. Hearty breakfast menu in our household (whenever we make it, that is) is usually pancakes with syrup, idlis with chutney or sabudhana khichdi (ahem.. it’s probably been more than a year I made this dish).
Making Waffles for breakfast is probably something I wouldn’t even dream off to make at home. So when CSN Stores contacted me to do a product review, I was super excited and this time I knew exactly what I wanted to get. I got this Presto Belgian Waffle maker and after making waffles for 2 weekend breakfasts, I’m totally in love with it.

I used the Belgian yeast Waffle recipe from King Arthur flour website and the waffles turned out crispy on the outside and soft & yeasty on the inside. Batter can be refrigerated overnight making breakfast on a weekend morning possible and not a dream.

Recipe from KAF website
Ingredients:
All-purpose flour – 1 cup
Milk – 1½ cups
Butter – 6tbsp
Maple Syrup – 3tbsp
Salt – ¾ tsp
Vanilla extract – 1tsp
Eggs – 2, large
Yeast – 1 ½tsp

Method:
- Heat milk until very hot (microwave for about 2-3 minutes depending on the power of your mw).
- Pour into a large mixing bowl (make sure that the bowl is BIG enough to accommodate doubled batter the next day), and add butter, maple syrup, salt and vanilla. Stir until butter starts to melt and the mixture cooled down to lukewarm.
- Add eggs, yeast and flour and mix until well combined. Cover the batter with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 1 hour.
- At this point, batter can be used to make waffles or can be refrigerated overnight to make waffles next morning.
- Preheat the waffle maker and following manufacturer’s directions, make the waffles. On my waffle maker; I used 1 cup of batter and cooked for about 5 minutes to get a perfectly cooked waffle. Enjoy right away with syrup and/or fruit.
These were probably the best waffles I ever ate and even my almost 3 year loved them. Will be making them often now.
I have to thank CSN Stores for giving me the opportunity to do the product review. The Presto Belgian Waffle Maker has a unique 180º flip design that ensures that the batter spreads evenly for waffles that are crispy on the outside and soft, fluffy and tender on the inside. It has a countdown timer and digital display signals when baking time is up. It locks in a vertical position and stands on the side making it compact and easy to store.

Will keep you posted with other waffle recipes I make for our weekend breakfast or for dessert (???).

11:36
Woo Hoo!
» ‎ jugalbandi

Guess who's on the cover of the August 2010 Issue of Kettlebell Inc Magazine.

10:37
Low Calorie Baked Potato Patty | Easy Aloo Cutlet | Step By Step Recipe
» ‎ Spice your Life

I am sure there aren't many who don't like Potatoes, especially a snack made with it. Aloo cutlets are most sought and even if it is a cutlet made with something else, you will still find Potatoes in it. These cults are not only easy but low in calorie as these are baked. Perfect for parties as you can literally forget by pushing the tray into the Oven and attending your guests!

Not only are these very tasty but can be done very quickly.

Step by Step of making Potato Patty in Oven

Have all the ingredients ready.

Pour oil into a microwave bowl.

Then add onions, green chilies and micro for 2 mins.

Stir well after 2 mins.

Then add Fennel seeds

Next goes 1/2 tomatoes and micro for 2 mins.

Micro the potatoes for 7 mins, soak in water and peel.

Mash well into fine paste.

Mix this potato mash to the onion tomato mix.

Then mix in the bread crumbs to this mix and combine everything well.

Divide into equal balls and pat down into small discs.

Place them on the baking tray as shown.

Continue until you are done.

Bake in Convectional mode at 215 degree for 15 mins.

Check in intervals. Turn over after 10 mins.

Aloo Cutlets are ready!

Ingredients Needed:

Potatoes - 5 mediums
Onions - 1 medium
Tomato - 1/2 medium
Green Chilie - 2 medium
Fennel Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves few
Bread Crumbs - 2 -3 tbsps
Oil - 1 -2 tsp

Method to prepare

Add oil, onions, green chilies and micro for 2 mins.

Micro the potatoes for 7 mins and peel

Add tomato to the onions, micro for 2 mins

Then mash the potatoes well and mix into the bowl.

Add the bread crumbs and combine everything well.

Divide into equal balls, pat down as discs

Pre heat the oven at 215 degree. and bake for 15 mins.

These are so easy to make and very low in oil

10:20
Hot Mustard Chili Pickle
» ‎ Talimpu

Ava Mirapakayalu. Fresh green chiles that are tender but fat are chosen for this recipe. The green chiles are chopped up and soaked in oil having mustard powder. Once the chili is mature it can be...

Read the rest of the talimpu recipe @ www.talimpu.com

10:20
Hot Mustard Chili Pickle
» ‎ Talimpu

Ava Mirapakayalu. Fresh green chiles that are tender but fat are chosen for this recipe. The green chiles are chopped up and soaked in oil having mustard powder. Once the chili is mature it can be...

Read the rest of the talimpu recipe @ www.talimpu.com

6:04
Sambar Rice – Lentil Rice
» ‎ Spicy Tasty
I was planning to make this sambar sadam since a long time. After I saw this recipe in Sharmispassions.com by Sharmilee, I loved it.

I tried this sambar rice and it really tastes like Vasantha Bhavan’s sambar rice I added the vegetables to my taste and I’ve also added the green chilli. This is really a very nice recipe and easy to make too. I’ve suggested this recipe to couple of my friends and everyone said it came out really good.

Preparation Time: 45 mins
Spice level : 3 out of 5
No of Servings : 3-4

Ingredients:
- Oil : 1 tbsp
- Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
- Fennel seeds : 1/2 tsp
- Asafoetida: a pinch
- Curry leaves: a few
- Green chilly : 1
- Shallots: 9
- Tomato: 1 (chopped)
- Salt: to taste
- Drumsticks: 3-4 (You can use any type of vegetables)
- Brinjal: 1
- Beans: 6
- Carrot: 1/2
- Potato : 1(small)
- Capsicum : 1/2
- Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp
- Sambar powder: 1 1/2 tbsp
- Rice : 1 cup
- Toor dal: 1/2 cup
- Tamarind: lemon size
- Coriander leaves : 2 tbsp
- Ghee: 1 tbsp
Method of Preparation:
1. Soak the rice and toor dal for 15 minutes
2. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and the mustard seeds.
3. After it spluttered, add the fennel seeds followed by the asafoetida, curry leaves, green chilly and shallots.
4. Fry the shallots till they become translucent and add the chopped tomatoes followed by the salt.
5. Now add all the vegetables followed by turmeric powder and sambar powder.
6. Fry them for 2 minutes.
7. Take 2 cups of tamarind extract and add to the mixture.
8. Now add the soaked rice and dal and 3 more cups of water.
9. Now cover the lid and pressure cook it for 6 whistles.
10. After opening the lid add the coriander leaves and the ghee.
11. Mix well and serve when it is hot with chips or potato fry.
© arthi for Spicy Tasty, 2010. | Permalink | 20 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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2:01
Sausage Bites
» ‎ Marias Menu
How was your Onam celebrations? Hope you had a great time with your friends & family. We celebrated Onam at our friend Vinod & Deepthi’s place. I know I didnt wish you Onam. I didnt make anything special for Onam & I felt bad wishing you Onam empty handed. However if you are a Non Resident Malayalee who is waiting to celebrate Onam during the weekend, please have a look at my Onam recipes, hope you will like something. If you have already celebrated Onam and want to taste some non veg stuff, here is a quick option.

I’ve posted only one sausage recipe before, sausage packets. I got that recipe from one of our friend’s when she served it as a starter for a party. This recipe is also from another friend, my dearest friend, Maryann. This recipe is a breeze to make & a total crowd pleaser.

Here is the recipe:
1. Sausage – 5
2. Ginger & garlic – 1 tsp, each grated
3. Onion – 1 medium, finely chopped
4. Pepper powder – 1/4 – 1/2 tsp
5. Tomato sauce – 1 tbsp
  Soya sauce – 1/2 -1 tbsp
  Hot sauce/Tabasco sauce – 1 tsp (refer notes)
Boil the sausage & cut into bite size pieces. Heat oil in a pan & add finely chopped onion. When it becomes brown add grated ginger & garlic. Fry for 2 minutes & add pepper powder. Mix well & add all the sauces. Combine well & add the cooked sausages. Mix well & keep cooking on low flame for 5-7 minutes. Give it a stir in between & remove from fire when it is roasted well. You can serve this as a starter/appetizer or as a side dish for fried rice.

Notes: If you want to make this as a side dish, you can add capsicum, celery etc along with onion & follow the same recipe. I didnt add any salt since the sausage & soya sauce has enough salt. However you can add it as per your requirements. You can also use the small size cocktail sausage for this. You can substitute hot/tabasco sauce with chilli sauce.
Why not leave a comment? Quick, head on over to MariasMenu.com for more tasty, delicious and simple recipes! Remember to check out the Recipe Index to find some easy-to-cook dishes. Don’t forget to tell your friends and family about MariasMenu!

2:01
Pickled Beets
» ‎ My Foodcourt

I love Beets, so whenever I see fresh juicy Beets in the farmers market I cannot resist the temptation to buy them. The Beets that are usually available locally are quite big in size. I just love to boil them, chop and sprinkle some salt and pepper and eat it right away, when they are [...]

August 24, 2010
21:46
Aviyal / Avial – Mixed Vegetables with Crushed Coconut and Yogurt
» ‎ Live to Eat

If you follow my photo blog, you might already know that I made a mini-Sadya for the grand Kerala festival Onam yesterday. Avial is an integral part of the traditional Kerala Sadya line-up. I don’t know why I make Avial only when there is a sadya, it is one of the easiest vegetable dishes [...]

20:14
Navratan Korma / Navaratna Kurma Recipe - Step by Step
» ‎ For The Cook In Me

I love kurmas (or kormas, for those of you who feel that's the way it should be spelled). The ones I grew up eating had lots of coconut or coconut milk in them as you would expect, since the growing up happened in Kerala.

A bit about Navratna Korma although I don't usually like doing yada yada (get to the recipe already!), but this dish is seriously interesting. Navratan means nine jewels and this dish is supposed to contain a mix of 9 fruits, vegetables and fried nuts. In true Mughlai cuisine fashion, cream (or cashew nut paste) is added to form the gravy.

I have seen quite a few variations in the 9 items used by different restaurants. TH is quite the spoilsport, he doesn't like it when sweet stuff is mixed with spicy (Ok, I admit, I am like that too, there's a reason why I married that guy) so I didn't add pineapple to my version, which is quite a popular "ratna" to add to Navratan Korma. Since we also don't like biting into raisins in our curries, and I really couldn't omit all the sweet stuff, I ground it into the paste. Genius, eh?

Navratan Korma / Navaratna Kurma Recipe
Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 cups of diced, mixed vegetables - I used carrot, beans, peas, corn and potato (cauliflower will be nice too!)
A few cubes of paneer
10 cashew nuts and 10 raisins soaked in warm water, drained and ground to a paste
1 large onion, minced
1 tomato, quartered and pureed
3 green chillies
1" piece of ginger
4 garlic cloves (or use 1 tsp ginger garlic paste)
1 tsp tomato paste (or use another pureed tomato)
1 cup milk
1 tbsp butter (or ghee)
Salt to taste

The Spice Powders:
2 tsp garam masala (or use 1 tsp freshly ground masala like cloves, cardamom, cinnamon)
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp jeera

Sidenote: I got these blue flexible chopping boards from IKEA the other day and totally love them. Yeah they scratch easily but don't they make awesome background for the 'ingredients picture'?

How I Made It:

1. Heat the butter or ghee in a kadai / pan.

2. Add minced onions and fry until pink and transparent.

3. Grind the green chillies with the ginger and garlic and add to the onions. If using ginger garlic paste, just crush the chillies and add along with it. Fry for 30 seconds.

4. Add all the spice powders. Fry for a minute.

5. In go the pureed tomato and the tomato paste

6. Mix well and let it cook until the butter appears on the sides (about 4-5 mins)

7. Add milk and about 1/2 cup of water, more or less.

8. Add the chopped vegetables. Mix well an cook covered for another 5 mins or so, until the vegetables are cooked, yet firm.

9. Add the cashew nut-raising paste and mix well. Add salt and paneer cubes. Cook open for another 5 minutes until the gravy thickens and comes together.

Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot with chapati, nan, roti, or pulao. This is a guest-wower recipe, btw.

I am sending this to Divya's Show Me Your Curry event.
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On a very unrelated note, Sig is having a giveaway on her blog so hope on by if you are interested to learn more.