Talimpu.com Links » Siri's Corner

« Expand/Collapse

Siri's Corner

August 15, 2008
6:35
Happy Birthday India!
» ‎ Siri's Corner

Happy Birthday India! Image Courtesy: Flickr
August 11, 2008
19:24
AWED: 'Orzo with Pasta sauce'
» ‎ Siri's Corner

One thing I got to know the first day I moved into this house is about my health conscious 'roomie'. She is sweet and adorable and I must say, I haven't seen such a levelheaded foodie uptil now. She hardly uses 'oil' or any unhealthy fats for that matter in her cooking, yet her dishes are yummy and droolworthy.

She always says with a twinkle in her eye - " My tastebuds are used to simple stuff now! and I wanna make every effort to be hale and healthy even in my old age". ..:)

As I enter the kitchen today, I see her cooking 'Orzo' for her dinner. Its strange that I never experimented with this Italian rice pasta before, though I first heard about it from Dhivs and her 'Stuffed Bell Peppers with Orzo' recipe.

I was inquisitive for what my roomie was upto, so there I was keenly observing her recipe, making a mental note and eagerly wondering - 'How does it taste?? Hmmm'..
So, here is 'Orzo with Pasta sauce' recipe of my roomie and also the additions I wanna add to suit my taste buds..:D

Ingredients:

1 packet of Orzo
5 tbsp (store bought) Pasta Sauce
1/2 medium Onion, chopped
2 tsp of 21 Seasoning Salute (or any other Italian Seasoning)
PAM spray (or) 1/2 tsp of Olive Oil

Preparation:

1. Boil enough water and add Orzo to it. Cook until completely done.

2. In a separate pan, take oil and saute the onions.

3. Add the pasta sauce to cooked Orzo and mix for couple of minutes.

4. Stir in the sauteed onions and then the seasoning.

5. Serve warm.

My twist: Transfer the contents into a casserole dish, top it with some shredded cheese and bake until the cheese melts... Y.U.M.M.Y!!

Off this simple Orzo dish goes to Dhiv's this month's AWED: Italian..:)

Goodnight and Chao,
Siri
August 10, 2008
10:28
WHB: Bread Gnocchi
» ‎ Siri's Corner

'Bread Gnocchi' is one of those rarest of RR's recipes that I liked... making the authentic 'Gnocchi' does take some time, but this recipe is a quicky version with a prep time of less than 15 mins.

I gave an aromatic twist to RR recipe, instead of basil..I used some fresh Rosemary...:). Its strange that I never bothered to use this versatile herb before...but I am glad, I did it this time. ..:)

Adapted from here.

Ingredients:

8 slices of Whole Wheat bread (Recommended: Italian Bread)
3 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp Butter
3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Salt & Pepper
1 sprig of fresh Rosemary, palm crushed
2 cups of pureed Tomato

Preparation:

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Chop bread into bite size pieces. Add olive oil, butter and garlic to the skillet.

2. Melt butter into oil then add fresh rosemary and bread. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Toss and cook the bread 7 to 8 minutes then add the pureed tomato. Turn to coat and warm the tomato sauce, 3 to 4 minutes.

4. Serve immediately.

For a Cheesy twist:

Transfer the contents to a casserole dish, top with any cheese. Place the casserole under the broiler and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until the cheese browns and bubbles.

Off this dish goes to Weekend Herb Blogging, coined by Kalyn and this week guest hosted by my dear friend Divya of Dil Se..:)

Have a great Sunday ahead.

Siri
August 06, 2008
19:23
My Fridge Magnets...
» ‎ Siri's Corner

Until a month back, I was not a great fan for magnets (or) any kind of souvenirs (or) keepsakes. I know it brings loads of memories with them, but was not particularly fond of a them.

A trip to Atlantic City changed me!..you can see check out what I got from there in the second pic!

.... then I got some veggies.....then a 'Pooh' magnet.. I got the 'Mood Setter' as a free gift from my friend, and I absolutely love it! As soon as I enter my kitchen, the first thing I do is to set my 'mood'..it so much fun and thought provoking too!! *wink*.

When Veda announced her 'Fridge Magnets' event, I was very excited and was meaning to show off couple of fridge magnets.. I am still in lookout for some more.. for now here are some of them ..:))

Fresh Veggies!

L-R: a souvenir from the beautiful Atlantic City, USA; I love Poooh! magnet; 'How are u?': Mood setter.

this is my favorite of all!

signing off for now,
Siri
July 27, 2008
16:22
This book makes me cook: Three men in a boat
» ‎ Siri's Corner

I did it! right at the nick of the moment I managed to complete this month's pick - 'Three men in a boat' by Jerome K Jerome.

It was an absolute pleasure to read this classic English comic book where the author J with two of his friends - Harris and George and a dog 'Montmorency' set out for a week long vacation on a boat along river Thames from London to Oxford.

Its the absolute brilliance of the author to put life to every scene that amazed me the most.

"He came and sat down on things, just when they were wanted to be packed; and he laboured under the fixed belief that, whenever Harris or George reached out their hand for anything, it was his cold, damp nose that they wanted. He put his leg into the jam, and he worried the teaspoons, and he pretended that the lemons were rats, and got into the hamper and killed three of them before Harris could land him with the frying-pan."

...wondering who is the 'HE' here.. its none other than our cute dog - 'Montmorency'!!!!

thats the eloquent diction and dry wit of Jerome which puts him apart and makes his book a classic one. I felt as if all the characters are for real and could relate with their commonality of frustration. For instance, the dubious 'weather forecasts', for atleast in my case are always predicted wrong. Here I am, all set to enjoy a sunny day ahead and by the end of the day am all soaked in rain. :( and it happened to me many times..! ..

..and the way the three men try to whip up their breakfasts, the anecdotes happening in the process are so hilarious; ..:) I actually sympathized with them and made a traditional English breakfast entrees for them - Fried Eggs with Baked beans.

this is how a traditional English breakfast looks like.

For Fried Eggs:

Melt some butter on a pan and crack two eggs on it. let it cook on medium-low heat for couple of mins, until the yolk is cooked. Sprinkle some salt and pepper. Serve.

For Baked Beans:

Wash and rinse 1 can of light red kidney beans. Heat some olive oil in a pan, add some finely chopped onions with crushed cloves.

Add the beans and 2 cups of vegetable stock. Let it simmer on medium heat for about 15-20 mins. Now, mix in 1 tbsp of dry mustard powder and some brown sugar. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven for 300F and bake the beans for about 1 hr. Serve hot with a crusty bread.

P.S: I haven't got my camera (to my new place), so no pictures for this post folks.

For the month of August, we picked out Meera Syal's award winning book - 'Anita and Me'. If interested, read along with us and lets whip up something together..:)

Also check out what others have to say about this book:

Bhags - Rhubarb Tart
Simran - Scrambled Eggs
Rachel - Spiced Apple Tart
Dee - Spicy Orange and Fig Jam

Bhagyashri of 'Taste Buds' has passed on a 'Friendship Award' to me..:) Thanks dearie, it indeed means a lot to me!

Enjoi and Have a great week ahead.

Chao,
Siri
July 24, 2008
14:56
Okra cooked in Australian Manner
» ‎ Siri's Corner

When Rachna chose 'Edible Flowers' as her theme for this month's Jihva, (originally initiated by Indira of Mahanandi ) I was both skeptical and unsure about what and how to cook with them. I must say, was quite surprised to see quite a number of my favorite veggies, who bear flowers too are in her 'Edible flowers' list.

PEAS? RADISH? OKRA?

[EDIT]: No No, Okra is NOT an edible flower, its a veggie. The fact is the Okra plant also bears flowers, which are Edible. So, this is not a valid entry for JFI, as I was supposed to cook with 'Okra Flower'...:) Thanks Rachna for correcting me.

I chose to whip up with my favorite vegetable - OKRA! not the usual deep fry or stew.. I was searching for something different - flavors which I have never experimented with!

One lazy evening, I was just browsing through the Bible of Vegetarian cooking (atleast for me, it is a BIBLE!...and absolutely love the list.) - Madhur Jaffrey's 'World Vegetarian' and quickly looked through the vegetable section....for some ideas!

'Okra cooked in an Australian manner' - that sounds interesting and it immediately caught my eye and was quite impressed and happy with its motley of flavors !

Psst..Psst.. I tweaked the recipe a bit - to suit my taste buds and going with the little time I had on hand..:)

Ingredients:

1 packet of Frozen Okra. (I am lazy! so went for the frozen one. You could use fresh ones too.)
Salt to taste
1/8 cup Soya Sauce (You could reduce or increase the amount as per ur taste)
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Cumin seeds
2 whole Red Chillies
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Preparation:

To reduce the gooey substance from the frozen Okra, I baked them at 300 deg for about 10 mins.

Heat oil in a wok, add in cumin seeds and red chillies. Then add cut Okra and cook for about 7-8 minutes.

Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Mix in the soya sauce at the end and cook on low heat for 2-3 minutes. Make sure the okra is cooked before you add the soya sauce.

Serve warm with hot rice.

I am a basically a 'rice-person' (rather than a 'roti-person').

You could serve this curry with roti too!

Enjoi.

signing off for now,
Siri
July 15, 2008
18:25
Chocolate Almond Brownies
» ‎ Siri's Corner

I promised 'cookies or brownies' in my last post... both of them are my 'first timers'..(does it make me a 'novice' cook?), but the best thing is, 'they turned out delish'! All thanks to my '9 Ninjas' (Dhivs, Anu, Laks, Bhags, Swati, Valli, Ranji, Raaga and Divya).

A fool proof recipe with lovely support of some gorgeous ppl = Perfect Chocolate Almond Brownies.

Oh! by the way did I tell you guys that we all of us re-named ourselves with some famous Ninja names.. with due permission from my co-recipe marathon runners, here are our names..

I am Etsuko,
Dhivya is Sakura,
Arundathi is Miyazaki,
Laks is Omoshiroi,
Raaga is Shido,
Swati is Taiki,
Valli is Midori,
Divya is Yoshiko,
Ranji is Shikato,
Bhags is Cheimi!!!

Please don't ask me the literal sense of these cherubic names (though they mean something really sweet in Japanese, the truth is I forgot what they mean.. Ninjas, Help! :( ).. but aren't the names cute! :)

So, we came up with the idea of 'Marathon Cook's Club' , where we take up one 'classic recipe' every month and try it out our own way, giving us a chance to explore and learn sumthing new!

the first one is 'Chocolate Brownies'!

Huh? did I say Brownies? Hmmmm, I never dared to make these for 2 reasons.

1. I don't have a sweet tooth, am more of a savory person.2. I had this perception that, to make one needs to be good baker, which I know am not!

But, these amazing Ninjas proved me wrong,

....and here I am with variation of 'Chocolate Almond Brownies'

Original Recipe by Laks, I tweaked it a bit to give out my own 'almondy' flavor!

Ingredients:

* 250 gms semi-dark Chocolate, chopped into small pieces * 1 cup All purpose flour * 3/4 cup Almonds, finely chopped * 1/2 cup Sugar + 1/4 cup Splenda (Original Recipe: 3/4 cup Sugar) * 1/2 cup butter (3/4 for a more fudgy brownie) * 2 eggs (Original Recipe asks for 4 egg whites) * 1/2 tsp Vanilla essence * 1/2 tsp Baking powder

Note: I ran out of eggs, so used just 2 instead of 4. the result is my brownie is a little crumbly, but it tasted delish!..:)

Preparation:

Step 1: Melt butter and chocolate chunks in a bowl over simmering water and let cool to room temperature. Keep aside.

Step 2: Roast the chopped almonds for a minute.

Step 3: Into the cooled chocolate-butter mixture, whisk on sugar + splenda, eggs, roasted nuts (save some for topping!) vanilla essence and flour, one by one, into a smooth
batter.

Step 4: I got some use-n-throw baking dish for a dollar, so I poured in the brownie batter into the pan, smooth the top with a spatula and sprinkle the left over roasted almonds.

Step 5: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350F. Bake for 25-35 minutes. Put in a knife into its center, it must come out 'clean', with no batter sticking to it! Cool
it to room temp, slice it up and serve warm or cold..:)

.....brownie sliced up... and served - ready to eat!

So, how many 'brownie' points would you give for my 'brownie' folks? ... and please do share your valuable tips and tricks..:D

take care folks and Gud nite,Siri
July 12, 2008
6:20
A Celebration with Mango Lassi
» ‎ Siri's Corner

"I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do"

~ Hellen Keller

All of a sudden, something happened last week and I had no time to share the good news with you all. It was something I was waiting for months to happens. After couple of self-inspiring posts like these, finally it happened. I GOT A JOB!. I was totally dumbfounded when I got the confirmation call from them. Its something, I have been longing for and Yes, it was right in front of me. I must consider myself lucky that managed to get one in this aggravating job market.

So, friends yours truly has moved to the Capital of United States last week. The people over the work place are very sweet and the best part, acc to me is - I can see the very famous 'Washington Monument' right from my cabin window! How cool is that!..hehehe.
I am still in the process of finding myself a permanent accommodation in the nearby VA area, am sure will get one soon.

I don't have my 'own place' (aka kitchen) to cook, but I had Indira's 'Mango Lassi' made in my drafts, so lets celebrate the occasion with that, Shall we!

Recipe: here

Off this simple, yet yummy drink goes to lovely Nupur's MBP:Less is More (initiated by Coffee) and gorgeous Meeta's MM:Mango Mania!

Enjoi folks and cya soon with ummmmm.. some cookies or brownies!

[EDIT]: Do you wanna install the new 'comment form' feature in your blogger?. then Click here. Thanks Nags for the tip.

Hugs,
Siri
July 04, 2008
6:59
'Frozen Yogurt': Roundup!
» ‎ Siri's Corner

Phew! finally I am done with the roundup of my 'Frozen Yogurt' event! Thank you guys for whipping up such cool, delectable 'Yogurt' dishes! Its surely a treat to all of us...:)
Sorry guys, I have been very busy from past few days, so my creative juices have stopped flowing..*wink*.. No poems this time..!!

Enjoi..:D

1. Angela's 'Strawberry-balsamic frozen Yogurt'
2. Arundathi's 'Yogurt Cake with Berries'
3. Aparna's 'Spicy Whole Masoor Dal'
4, 5. Lathamma's 'Mor Kali' & 'Bhoondi Pachadi'
6. Vidya's 'Mor Kali'

7. Ashaji's 'Dahi Moong'
8. Bhagyashri's 'Boondi Raita'
9. Cham's 'Wheat Idlis'
10, 12. Priyanka's 'Strawberry Smoothie & Mango Maharajah'
11. Deepthi's 'Spinach in yogurt-coconut-chilli gravy'

13. Dhivya's 'Strawberry Yogurt Popsicle'
14. Divya's 'Watermelon Yogurt Icecream'
15. Easy Craft's 'Kadhi Kashmiri'
16. Raaga's 'Mor Kozhambu'
17. Raaga's 'Tomato Pachadi'
18. Raaga's 'Palak Kadhi'

19. Fitri's 'Summber Berry Frozen Yogurt'
20. Hetal's 'Fat-free Frozen Mango Yogurt'
21. Hima's 'Coconut - Yogurt Chutney'
22. Ramya Bala's 'Cherry Frozen Yogurt'
23. Ramya Bala's 'Mor Kolambu'
24. Ramya Bala's 'Murukku'

25. Ivy's 'Mastic Gum Yogurt Dessert'
26. Rekha's 'Banana Orange Yogurt Smoothie'
27. Rekha's 'Apricot Smoothie'
28. Rekha's 'Mango Pudding'
29. Sita's 'Curd Rice'
30. Sita's 'Fruit Lassi'

31, 32. Jayashree's 'Kadhi with Pakode' and 'Mango Lassi'
33. Kalva's 'Healthy Sour and Spicy Buttermilk and Rice Flour Soup / Majjiga Pindi'
34. Kamala's 'Rava Idli'
35. Kevin's 'Strawberry Frozen Yogurt'
36. Kalva's 'Kasuri Metho Aloo Parathas'

37. Lisa's 'Frozen Mango Lime Lassi'
38. Maheshwari's 'Yogurt Biryani'
39. Medhaa;s 'Dahi ji Curry'
40. Meera's 'Yellow Kadhi'
41. Nupur's 'Cool Spinach Raita'
42. Priya's 'Yogurt Cheese of Lebanon'

43. Radhika's 'Thayir Pachadi'
44. Rina's 'Dahi Vada'
45. Shri's 'Yogurt Spinach'
46. Shruthi's 'Bellpepper Raita'
47. Shubha's 'Khiar be Laban (Lebaneese Cucumber and mint yoghurt)'
48. Sia's 'Dahi Batata Puri'

49. Sig's 'Kaalan'
50. Sireesha's 'Mango Lassi'
51. Sowmya's 'Strawberry Yogurt Icecream'
52. Sra's 'Yogurt Gravy with Amarnath leaves'
53. Suma's 'Fruity Yogurt'
54. Suma's 'Maida Pakodas'

55. Renuka's 'Curd Mini Idlis'
56. Swati's 'Cucumber Cooler'
57. Sweatha's 'Carrot Raita'
58. Trupthi's 'Dahi Vada'
59. Uma's 'Baboosa'
60. Valli's 'Mango Lassi'

61. Ramki's '1001 Raitas'
62. Vandana's 'Eggless MW Chocolate Cake'
63. Archy's 'Eggless Banana Yogurt Cake'

Ranjani's 'Ultimate Thaiyar Sadam'

Bharti's 'Cheerio Chaat'

Bhags's 'Blueberry Yogurt'

67. Jan's 'Avial'
68. Jyothsna's 'Dahi Bhalle'
69. Jz's 'Fragrant Yogurt Soup'
70,71,72. SriLekha's 'Curd Rice', 'Moru/Buttermilk', 'Mor Kolambu'

..and lets wrap up this cool, yogurty roundup with Madhu's 'Blueberry Yogurt Smoothie'

I have tried my level best to include all the entries, I have received. For any queries or questions, please leave a comment or send me an email!.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A hearty thanks to Uma for her 'Giant Bear Hug', Priyanka , Hetal, for her 'InspirationAward', Ramya for 'Blogging with Purpose' award and Rekha for 'Award of Friendship'!! thats so sweet of you gurls..:)

Lastly, I am planning to take a short break from now on due to some shift at my professional front. will be back again!! until then, take care and cya folks!

Miss you all for sure..:)

Cheers,
Siri
July 02, 2008
21:15
My Baking Ballyhoo # 2: Sandwich Bread
» ‎ Siri's Corner

I must say...'Baking is highly addictive!' - thats what I realized after baking my first bread...:)

For the second episode of 'My Baking Ballyhoo', I wanted to make our classic sandwich bread and Oh boy! I am so glad I did decide upon that! I followed the Lesson 2 at 'The Fresh Loaf', but with some simple variations, as listed below!

Here is the first look...

Adapted from 'Lesson 2: Putting Something More in Your Loaf'

Ingredients:

2 cups of All purpose flour (One can use a cup of bread flour, if desired.)
1 tsp Rapid rise Yeast
3/4 tsp Salt
1/8 cup Sugar
1-2 tbsp Butter (at room temperature)
3/4 cup warm milk (Make sure its NOT hot enough to kill the yeast! 100 to 105 F is fine.)
Lukewarm Water if needed

Preparation:

For a detailed version of making a bread: Click here.
Mix the dry ingredients, then add the wet ingredients. Mix and adjust water until all ingredients are incorporated and the dough is capable of forming a ball.
Pour the dough onto a flat, floured surface and knead for approximately ten minutes.

Return the dough to an oiled bowl and let rise until doubled in size, approximately 90 minutes. Shape the loaf and then let rise again until the desired size is reached, approximately 45 minutes

Bake at 350 F for 40 to 45 minutes, until when tapping the bottom of loaf the bread springs back and makes a hollow sound.
Another look...

Verdict:

Addition of sugar and milk gave nice sweetness and softness to the bread and is much better in taste than my first attempt. To store the bread, place in a plastic bag!

...and I can surely say - If I can do it, so can you!!! Lets get baking then..:)

Have a great day ahead.

Cheers,
Siri

← ruchi chūchu Spicyandhra →

Talimpu.com Links » Siri's Corner

Feeds

Siri's Corner