Spicy Foood

Cake Balls - Easy Valentine's Day Gift

2012-02-12T10:43:00.001+05:30

If you have leftover cake this is what you need to do them?This recipe is so great I could bake a new cake and go ahead with this.

With Valentine;s day coming I wanted to do something with chocolate as i have a bunch of chocolate addicts at home(i'm included)!I had this big Valor chocolate bar sitting in the fridge and I didn't want to just munch on it.

The cake that didn't charm anyone anymore, vanished like magic :) Thank the cake balls!

You need

Cake a few pieces
Milk/semi sweet Chocolate 100gm
Condensed milk 1 tablespoon
Oil 1 tsp (optional)

Crumble the cake in a bowl with a fork (or use hands)
Add the condensed milk and make the cake mix into a workable blob of dough(not too loose as we need to roll them into balls)

Make small balls of the cake mix and place it on a sheet of aluminium paper or lined baking tray.
Leave the cake balls in the freezer for atleast 2 hours to firm.
Chop the chocolate into tiny pieces and microwave it to soften until smooth or use a double boiler and melt the chocolate.
After 2 hours, get the cake balls and roll them in the chocolate sauce.
Repeat for the remaining dough and freeze again.

Leave it for about 10 minutes before serving.

Wishing you all a Happy Valentine's Day :)

Sending this to Just 4 fun@Good Food,
Kid;s delight Something Sweet@Edible Entertainment hosted for Srivalli

Chocolate Lover
Love Lock with Sweets created by Vidhya of Sweet Karam Kapi
Valentine's Day Event
Chocolate Mela
- "Sweet Luv" - Anything Sweet
- Let's Cook #12 ~ Sweet Somethings
- Let's cook for valentine chocolate/hearts
- CC-Dish For Loved Ones
- Valentine Fest - Served with Love
- Valentines Day Special

Tips:
- I used a pound cake about 4 pieces.
- You can add a spoon of oil to loosen the chocolate, this doesn't alter the taste of the chocolate.
- You can use any plain or flavored cake to make the dough.Preferably less sweet as i mixed condensed milk it was a lil too sweet...not complaining though :)

Chicken pot fry

2012-02-11T00:31:00.000+05:30

Who doesn't like fried food...i love it,just that i'm not having them happily,its guilty pleasure!This pot fry is one guilt-free way of making a nice thick gravy coated chicken fry (almost).
You must try this once and you'll almost never miss your fried chicken again.I must say I'm happy with this one!

My LM loves chicken and lately she's binging into fried foods, i know its not too safe and healthy.This pot fried chicken wasn't the regular 'curry chicken' to her.

To make this

1. You need to marinate the below

Chicken about half kg
Lime juice tablespoon
Pepper powder 1/2tsp
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Dhaniya/coriander powder 1 and half tsp((half for marinade +half for gravy
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder 1tablespoon(half for marinade +half for gravy)
Aniseed/saunf/perumjeerakam powder 1tsp
Soya sauce 1 tablespoon
Salt to taste

for about half hour.

2.For the gravy:

Coconut/vegetable oil 3tablespoons
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Curry leaves 2 sprigs
Onion 1 medium chopped finely
Green chilli 1 (or as per your spice level)
Ginger garlic paste freshly pounded 2 teaspoons
Cloves,cardamoms 3 each , cinnamon sticks 2 1inch pieces (grind to a powder)
Lime juice 1 tablespoon

- heat oil in a pan,splutter mustard seeds, add onions and curry leaves followed by slit green chillies.
- Once the onions are soft add the ginger garlic paste and let this fry for few seconds.
- Add the marinated chicken to this and stir it about for a while in the oil.
- Cover and cook this on a slow fire until the chicken is nice and tender.
- Once the chicken is tender, there will be excess liquid standing in the pan,let the water all go away by cooking on a higher flame and stiring frequently.
- add the clove-cardamon-cinnamon powder and mix well.

- I dried off all the excess liquid to make a gravy coated fry chicken dish.
-Serve with hot chapatis or steamed rice and curry.

Sending this to Valentine Special @Anzz cafe

Banana and Dates Healthy Pancakes

2012-02-10T16:15:00.000+05:30

I feel like munching at 4 before my tea!Since everyone's on the "healthy eating habit" , I'm trying not to have junk food(too!).Not that I can succeed too many times(but I'm trying), and an idea (*ting*) "make healthy pancakes" :) I thought why not!

So I went ahead and made these pancakes, mixing and all in about 20 minutes!

Preparation Time : 20 mins
Makes 4 pancakes

To make these pancakes, you need

Wheat flour/chapati atta 3 tablespoons heaped
Baking powder 1/2 tsp
Honey 1 tablespoon (or sugar if you like)
Banana 1 (used the small yellow one) mashed
Dates 4 (I had dates paste i used 1 tsp)
Milk about a cup
Warm water if needed
Oil 1 tsp (add butter if you like :) since i said "healthy pancakes" i added oil)

Mash the banana and dates into a smooth lumpy mix, now add the flour, baking powder and honey in a bowl.
Add enough milk to make the pancake mixture (shouldn't be too runny) and the oil (and a little luke warm water if needed to make the mix runny)
Check the sweetness and add enough honey/sugar as you like.
Grease a pan, pour a ladle-full of pancake mix on the pan, when you see bubbles form and pop on the pancake, you can flip it over and cook on a low or medium flame( since its wheat flour it darkens soon so i suggest cooking them on a low flame).

Serve hot with honey!

Sending this recipe to Ramya's ABC event : Banana

and Taste of pearl city's event

Reposting/sending this to Banana recipes@My culinary creations

Spiced Almond milk-Magic Mingle

2012-02-10T04:54:00.002+05:30

Magic mingle time again!I was waiting for 3 weeks to hear what the next set of magic ingredients would be, and I must congratulate Kalyani for coming up with such a magical event each month, which has definitely got some of us to don our thinking caps!

When i read this month's ingredients-almonds and ginger, first thought,yes cookies but then I don't know why I don't feel like making anything sweet lately.So I had a vague idea and looked up a few places and decided on this easy drink.

Almond milk is a rich and nutritious drink for the kids and adults alike.I have spiced it with ginger candy and dates.If you are thinking how that would taste, it was sweet and the taste of almonds lingered in my mouth for a long time.I made just one mistake of having a nice glassful which left me full for a long time.Like i said its a wonderful drink for the kiddies!

To make this..
Preparation time: 10 minutes.
Makes 2 large cups of almond milk.

You need

Almonds 10
Ginger candy 2 pieces
Dates de-seeded 2
Water 3 cups

- Boil the almonds in some water for 2 minutes and cool it.This is to help peel off the almonds.
- In a blender add the almonds,dates and ginger candy with the 3 cups of water and blend until all is mixed well.
- Filter the contents using a fine sieve or muslin cloth.
- The clear liquid is ready to be served as it is or stored in the refrigerator.

- Serve chilled.

Tips:
- i have used ginger candy,you can use fresh ginger an inch sized piece with honey or sugar for sweetness.
- i didn;t need to add anything for sweetness as the ginger candy did this for me.
- you will get some good amount of almond pulp which can be used for cookies.i'm still trying to use my pulp which i have frozen(since i didn't want to throw it away)

Sending this to Magic Mingle #2@ Sizzling Tastebuds

and to Just 4 fun @ Good food

Peas and Tomato Curry

2012-02-08T00:47:00.006+05:30

I had to miss the blog hop for the month of January.I didn't know which was more depressing not having my laptop or blogging :) This month I have been paired with Vidhya, this peas curry wasn;t my first choice.I so wanted to make her red velvet bites but I don't want to go near sweets or bakes now(blame the weather!).

One really simple yet tasty dish I found at Vidhya's Sugar "N Spice on a day when I was in no mood to cook anything.

Preparation time : 10 minutes

You need

Peas 1 cup
Onion 1 large sliced finely
Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp
Tomato 2 medium diced into cubes
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Green chilli 1
Oil 1 tablespoon
Garam masala 1 tsp
Coriander powder/dhaniya powder 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Water as required

Use coconut milk or coconut paste (Coconut scrapped 1 tablespoon and Dry red chillies 1/2)

Heat the oil in a pan, add the cumin and let it splutter.
Now add the onions and fry till soft.
Add the green chillies and ginger garlic paste
Next add the tomatoes and let it fry till soft.
Once the tomatoes are soft(not too soft they need to be chunky)
Add the masala powders and let them fry until the raw smell goes away and it mixes well with the tomatoes.
Lastly add the peas and enough water(the amount of gravy you need) and cover and cook.Add salt to taste.

Just before turning off the stove add the ground coconut paste/coconut milk.
Serve hot with chapatis.

Linking this to Blog Hop Wednesdays @Tickling Tastebuds and Show me your hits@SpicyTreats

Winter vegetables@Recipe Junction

sending this to Murari Anniversary Event@Hema's space

Broken wheat upma

2012-02-07T11:44:00.000+05:30

Upma is the last thing i'd have when given an option and the first thing i want to make if i do not have any breakfast options :) (sounds mean) but its so easy to make if nothing else is available.My DH a lover of all vegetables,loves his upma with mixed vegetables, alas, if only i could get one spoon ful into my LM's mouth nope she's totally against vegetables!

I have picked this recipe for the blog hop wednesday i missed in january due to several reasons.I had to hop Madhavi's blog and picked this healthy and easy recipe.

For a long time, my upma used to be as hard as a rock now i know the reason for that.I used the incorrect quantity of water.

To make this easy upma you need,

Broken wheat 1 cup(/normal sooji/rawa)
Water 3 cups
Curry leaves 1 sprig
Baby onions 5-6 chopped finely
Green chillies 1 chopped finely
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Chana dal 1 tsp
Urad dal/black lentils 1 tsp
Oil/ghee to temper 1 tablespoon
Mixed vegetables (beans,carrot,peas) 1 cup (or much as you like)(add any vegetable of your choice)
Coriander/cilantro leaves to garnish

Dry roast the broken wheat/big brown rawa in a pan until it turns a bit brown(its already reddish brown in color)
Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds let it pop, then add the onions,green chillies and curry leaves.
Next add the chana dal and urad dals and fry well.
Add the vegetables and let them cook until soft.
Now add chilli powder and salt to taste and fry this for a few seconds.
Next add the water required for the rawa and start stirring slowly and add the fried rawa into this.
Check for salt and cover this and let it cook.
Upma is ready when all the water is soaked up and the rawa swells up well.
Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with chutney or yogurt.

Sending this to BHW@Tickling palates

Strawberry Banana crunchy Muffins

2012-02-03T13:15:00.002+05:30

Banana Cakes/muffins are so flavourful,I love them.My DH does'nt like them much, so i avoid making them.I had a few strawberries sitting in the freezer and wanted to use them up in a juice/shake for LM but since its been so cold lately I din;t want to take that risk.

My first baking experience with berries wasn't too bad, though baking with bananas is my favourite!The taste of bananas was overpowering and i had only a few strawberries.But the muffins were really crunchy and good.A sweet something recipe just in time for Valentine's day!

More than having strawberries i have enjoyed taking pictures the colors look outstanding in the photographs!You can see a few earlier posts here and here.

I've been jinxed at baking, only blunders come out after baking not cakes :( so i was determined to get a good cupcake this time and they were mighty good!

This is how i made it...

You need

All purpose flour/maida 1 n half cups
Baking powder 1 tsp (not heaped)
Baking soda less than 1 tsp
Sugar 3/4th cup
Salt 1/2 tsp

Egg 1
Oil (vegetable oil) 1/3 cup(less than half)
Almond essence half tsp
Yogurt 2tsp
Banana 1 long one mashed(use a really ripe one)
Strawberries 10 (use more if u have) chopped into bite sized bits/puree them with some sugar

For the topping
Sugar white/brown 2 tablespoons
Almond shavings 2 tablespoons

Preheat the oven to 220C and line or grease the muffin tray.
Sieve and mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.Keep it aside.
In another bowl, beat the egg until frothy and then slowly add the oil to this.Add the essence and yogurt and beat until mixed well.
Pour the wet mix into the first bowl with dry ingredients.Pour it in parts and mixing in between.This recipe doesn't need excess mixing, just need to moisten the dry ingredients with the wet.
Spoon the mix into the greased/lined muffin pan and sprinkle sugar and almond shavings on each muffin.
Bake at 180C for half hour or until skewer comes out clean.

Cool them before having these crunchy yummy muffins.

These muffins store well in the refrigerator for 2 days or more but once they are cooled the tops don't remain crunchy as when hot.

Recipe from here.

Sending this to Love lock with sweets started by Vidhya@SweetKaaramkapi and hosted at Killer on the plate, Valentine's day event@Teenz' yummy delights, Valentine's Special @ Anzz Cafe,Lets Cook 12@ticklingPalates, Sweet luv@Zesty Palette, Bon Vivant Moments@Sumee;s,Lets-cook-for-Valentines,
Banana recipes @My culinary creations

Prawn on toast

2012-02-01T17:12:00.001+05:30

My favourite starter at Chinese restaurant!We had this tiny little Chinese restaurant near my home and all the dishes were drool-worthy :) .Drums of heaven and prawn on toast were our regular orders!We used to be there almost every other weekend, even the chef became our dear friend!

While I was trying to fall asleep (yea don't think I'm going crazy) few nights ago, I felt like having this crispy crunchy snack!I looked for a few recipes and i dished this up in about 10 minutes since i had the prawns marinated and waiting already!I watched someone make it on tv and thought wow thats sooo easy!

Serves one hungry person or 2 :)
Cooking time 10 mins + prawns cleaning time (15 mins)

You need

Prawns cleaned 5 cut in halves or whole
Capsicum slices 5 6 slices
Baby onions/spring onions 1 tablespoon
Egg 1(beaten with salt and pepper)
Soy sauce 1 tsp
Chilli sauce 1 tsp
Vinegar 1 tablespoon
Bread 2 slices cut into halves or quarters
Salt to taste
Pepper optional
Oil to deep fry

Trim the edges off the bread and toast it on a pan so it dries.
Meanwhile in a mixing bowl mix the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Beat the egg with salt and pepper and leave aside.
Chop the bread into 4s and spoon a piece of prawn and some of the sauce onto the bread.
Dip this whole assembled bread + prawn mixture into the beaten egg and deep fry until golden on both sides.
Serve hot with sauce of your choice!or have it as it is :)[ I had it with some vinegar chilli (just add a cap-full of vinegar to a few tablespoons of water and add the finely chopped green chilli].

Tips:
The prawns i used were marinated in chilli powder,salt, and coriander powder) but plain ones will do.Because of the sauces' in the marinade.
You can add other seasoning or salad leaves and vegetables.
You can use chicken instead and for vegetarians paneer and mushroom can be substituted.Egg cannot be substituted as it has to bind all the seasoning to the bread.
I read somewhere that toasting the bread leads to lesser soaking of oil in the bread.

Sending this to Cooking with winter vegetables@Recipe Junction

Cinnamon chilli - Black and White Wednesday

2012-02-01T11:33:00.000+05:30

Two important and powerful ingredients in Indian cooking - cinnamon and chillies.Just a twig on cinnamon can make you fly in its aroma.I want to swim when i fry green chillies, love the aromas.

My entry to BWW @ The wellseasoned cook

Vaangi Baath/Brinjal and tamarind flavored Rice

2012-01-30T13:07:00.001+05:30

My friend usually makes this dish and i tried it under compulsion on the day before i left for our christmas break.Yes I had my stock of brinjals to finish off and turn off the refrigerator.So i took down the recipe from her and it was a hit as my hubby is a huge fan of flavored rice :)

I would like to say its a variation of the puliyodharai rice(tamarind flavored rice).Need I say this is really quick to whip up in the mornings for lunch box.Just a simple raita or fried potatoes go well with.And the praises follow :)

yummy lunch box!

This is how i make it...

You need

Cooked rice 1 and half cups

For the flavouring:

You need

Oil or ghee 2 tablespoons (i use one of each)

Cumin seeds 1tsp

Peanuts 1 tablespoon

Mustard seeds 1tsp

Urad dal 1tsp

Channa dal/kadala paruppu 1 tsp

Curry leaves 1 sprig

Green chilli 1
Baby onions 10nos sliced finely

Brinjals small 3 nos sliced thinly

Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp

Tomatoes 1 medium diced

Tamarind lime sized ball soaked in a cup of water

Sambar powder 1tsp

Chilli powder 1tsp

Garam masala powder 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder a pinch

Salt to taste

Heat oil in a pan, add the oil and let it heat, add the ingredients under the flavouring one after the other in that allowing each to fry well for about a minute.
Let the brinjals fry well until tender.
Then add the ginger garlic paste and let it fry well.
Next add the tomatoes and allow them to mash well in the heat and let the oil start leaving the sides.
Next add the tamarind juice and salt to taste.
this paste should be nice and thick so the rice remains dry once mixed in
Allow the tamarind juice to simmer well and become a nice thick paste so the rice will remain dry once its added and also the tamarind's raw taste/smell goes away.
Add the masala powders to this and simmer well so the masalas cook well.

Once the right consistency of the flavoured mix is attained let this cool before you add cooked and cooled rice.

Mix well so the rice is coated well with the flavours.

Serve hot or pack in the lunch box with fried potatoes and boiled eggs or raitha :)

Sending this to Dish it out event :brinjals and garlic @ Spicytreats started by Vardhini and Let's cook #11~Rice @ Tickling Palettes

Strawberry Yogurt

2012-01-27T12:31:00.003+05:30

A beautiful and healthy dessert :) My LM has taken to strawberries suddenly and I was happy when I found some flavoured yogurt, but it was a big disappointment.This yogurt i made she loved it and I thought did more justice to flavoured yogurt than the packed one :)

The idea came from my tiramisu recipe.I wanted to make a chocolate layer too, thinking of the effort for just one cup of yogurt i dropped it!And its not the best of weathers to have yogurt, in Chennai we still have a pleasant winter(surprisingly!)

With our red letter day approaching, this would make a healthy and beautiful dessert too!

Here's how i made it...
Makes 1 cup
Preparation time 10 minutes

You need
Hung curd 3 tablespoons
Frozen strawberries 5
Sugar 2 tsp
Condensed milk 2 tsp
Chocolate chips to sprinkle or chocolate sauce to garnish

Blitz the frozen strawberries with the sugar into a red pulp.
Mix the hung curd with the condensed milk.
In a cup/bowl, alternate the layers one red and other white.
Drizzle with chocolate sauce or sprinkle some chocolate chips.

Serve chilled :)

Tips:

- Once out of the freezer the strawberries will be rock hard, i left it out for about half an hour before making the pulp.

- the first time i made hung curd i used a muslin cloth i thought it was messy,this time i had a fine tea strainer and poured the thick curd in it and half hour later had good thick hung curd :)

Sending this to Valentine Special @ Anzz cafe, ABC Series :\desserts@Ramya's Recipes, "Love Lock with Sweets" hosted by "Killer On The Plate" and created by Vidhya of Sweet Karam Kapi,New year New dish @UK Rasoi, Breakfast Club originally created by Helen@Fuss free Flavours,

Idli Upma with lemon seasoning

2012-01-25T12:08:00.001+05:30

Leftover food has never gotten more interesting since this recipe :) Everyone loves idlis and this simple idli upma is another reason to love them!I had a few leftover idlis and was wondering what to do of them, when I decided to try this.You should try it once, and fall in love with the simplicity of it!Then, what leftovers!

I have lots of ready made lemon rice powder sitting in the kitchen racks, its ok if we do not have fresh lemons but I wouldn't prefer to use the powder.My hubby got lots for his travel trip(he had enough of lemon rice!)I just went and added it to this upma and it was a hit!

You need

Idlis (one day old or atleast 8-9hours) 5

For the seasoning:
Lemon rice powder any brand 2 tsp
Oil 2 tsp
Curry leaves 1 sprig
Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
Onions 1 small (optional)
Salt to taste
Cilantro chopped to garnish

Crumble the idlis with your hands into course bits.
Heat oil in a pan, add the onions if you are using them.
Into the hot oil add the lemon rice powder and saute it for a bit.
Now add the idli bits and stir well.If its too dry sprinkle some water and stir well with salt to taste and garnish with cilantro.

Serve hot :)

Tips:
- if you don't have the ready made powder, check my lemon rice post for the fresh lemon seasoning.
- idlis have to be leftover else they will mash and not crumble.

Sending this to Let's cook with leftovers@SimplysensationalFood and Kalyani's Kitchen Chronicles guest hosted by Veg Junction

Shake-d

2012-01-25T11:22:00.001+05:30

I finally found some strawberries, LM has constantly been pestering us for strawberry juice we even went looking one day and never found them :) Since i found this box of strawberries i am treasuring them!

First thing that came to my mind very common of course strawberry milkshake.

And then i made some beautiful strawberry yogurt :) I'll be putting up the post soon!

Entry to BWW @ thewellseasonedcook

Brinjal and peas Sabji

2012-01-24T11:28:00.000+05:30

Ever since the packing-lunch saga started all kinds of ideas keep coming especially on days i have nothing planned out(read already chopped vegetables) for the lunch!Peas make a good accompaniment to any vegetable so i have discovered now.

I miss making bhaingan ka bhartha, haven't come across the big brinjal too often here.So I thought of using the same choice of vegetables for this sabji, and makes a great side dish for our humble chapati!

Here's how i made it...

You need
Brinjals 3 nos chopped in wedges
Peas half a cup
Onion 1 medium sliced
Garlic 5 nos minced
Tamarind pulp 2 tablespoons
Sambar powder 1 tsp
Red chilli powder 1/2tsp
Dhaniya/coriander powder 1/2tsp
Cumin seeds 1tsp
Salt to taste
Oil 2 tablespoons

Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and let it splutter, add the onions and let it fry until translucent.
Fry the garlic and then add the brinjals and fry till soft.
Add the tamarind pulp and let the brinjals cook in the pulp.
Add the masala powders and fry well.Add about 2 tablespoons of water(so the spices don't burn)
Add the peas in the end and saute all well.

Serve with steamed rice and rasam or chapatis.

You can add the big brinjals instead of the normal sized ones.We like the tangy taste in brinjals , if you do not like it you can skip it and add tomatoes instead.

Sending this to Dish it out- Brinjal & Garlic Event @ Vardhini's and Spicy Treats

Baby Potato Salad

2012-01-22T00:08:00.003+05:30

I discovered baby potatoes are delicious recently.My DH used to always keep me away from them saying "they are so tiny, and they'll take ages to peel" and i used to run towards the normal potatoes.I couldn't resist the temptation for too long.LM loves these tiny potatoes roasted :) more reason to buy baby potatoes.

My DH tasted this and said "anything in yogurt tastes good!" .Which is why i decided to try it salad/raita in the first place!Trust me its good.

The creamy yogurt brings out the taste and spices used to toss the baby potatoes.

This is how i made it...

You need
Baby potatoes 15 nos
Yogurt/curd 1 cup
Oil 2 tsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp(optional)
Turmeric powder/haldi 1/4 tsp(optional)
Red chilli powder 1 tsp(optional)
Chaat masala a generous sprinkling
Salt to taste

Pressure the baby potatoes for about 5 minutes and turn off the cooker.Once the pressure has cooled down, pop the potatoes in a pot of cold water and peel them.
Heat oil in a pan, sprinkle the cumin seeds once they crackle add the peeled potatoes (whole or chopped into quarters)
Add the spices - chilli powder,haldi and salt and toss the potatoes until they are soft.

In a serving bowl, mix the yogurt/curd with salt to taste(the potatoes have salt to so be careful) and chaat masala.
Mix the sauteed potatoes to this curd mix.
Sprinkle some chilli powder and chaat masala.

Serve spicy potato raita with parathas or indian breads :)

Linking toPotato Mania event @ Siri's Food Flavours
Sending this to Cooking 4 fun@Sobha;s Good Food

Green Parathas

2012-01-20T11:44:00.001+05:30

I love/crave for north indian food any day :) I should be saying it for south indian food too but since I spent a lot of time being in Mumbai and chapatis/rotis are my soul food, sabjis and bhaajis go better than the kootu curries!

Been a while since I made any stuffed parathas or rotis, LM likes parathas(a way of sending some vegetables to her tiny tummy) with yogurt!This dinner combo was one huge success- Green parathas with baby potato raita :)

This isn't a stuffed paratha, I have a huge bunch of each mint and cilantro leaves and would for a change not let them go in vain.So the idea struck.I have pureed the two and added it to the wheat dough and this way my little one isn't picking out tid bits from the chapati!

Here's how i made it

You need
Wheat flour 2 cups to make a chapati dough.
Oil/Butter/Ghee to toss the parathas

Clean all the below ingredients and grind to a smooth paste with about a half glass of water
Mint leaves a handful of leaves(stems removed)(or more if you please)
Cilantro/Coriander leaves a handful
Green chillies 1(as per your spice level)
Ginger 1/2" piece
Garlic 5 nos
Cumin seed powder 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Once you grind the leaves into a smooth paste, make the chapati dough using this liquid mixture of leaves and spices.You may have to add a little more water to make it nice and smooth.
Apply some oil and let the dough rest for one hour.(meanwhile enjoy the beautiful aroma that spreads through your home)
Roll them out into chapatis and toss them with oil or ghee or butter.

Serve with plain yogurt and pickle or like i did with baby potato raita :)

Crispy Prawns

2012-01-18T12:50:00.001+05:30

Seafood is becoming a fast favourite with my family.My DH used to run away from curries but recently he's getting to like even that :) Fried foods are everyone's desire :) This time i decided to make this childhood favourite of mine.

I was actually looking to try the peri peri marinade with prawns but I didn't have fresh limes,so decided to go with this really simple dish.

The only time consuming thing with prawns is the cleaning part, I've heard that it may cause tummy upsets if not cleaned well.I always take extra care while cleaning and deveining it(remove the darkish line by creating a slit at the top portion of the prawn).Once the rinsing is done, do not forget to rinse it one last time in water mixed with a cap full of vinegar, this removes any stale smells on seafood.

This is how i made it.

You need

Prawns cleaned and rinsed 15 nos
Chilli powder 1 tsp
Pepper powder 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Garlic pounded 3 nos
Ginger 1/2 inch piece pounded
Oil 1 tsp
Oil to shallow fry
All purpose flour 1 tsp mixed with 2 tsp of water to make a runny paste
Bread crumbs to coat the prawns

Marinate the prawns with salt,pepper powder,chilli powder,ginger,garlic and oil(1tsp)
Let it sit for about 20 minutes.
Heat the pan to fry the prawns, dip each prawn in the flour paste and toss it in bread crumbs.
Shallow fry the prawns until brown.
Serve as starter with any sauce of your choice or with steamed rice and curry.

Tip:

- Instead of the flour water paste you can use a beaten egg if you want.

Peas in a pod - Black and White Wednesday

2012-01-18T11:09:00.000+05:30

I missed posting for BWW last week.But ever since I have started sending entries to BWW I'm on the lookout for good food photography.I'm going to take this opportunity to better my self in that area :)

Winter is the time for fresh peas.My LM loves to peel them even yesterday while I was finishing dinner work,she sincerely peeled about a quarter kg of peas for me :) and placed in a plastic bag neatly in the refrigerator!What an angel!

Sending this to BWW@The well-seasoned cook

Mint Rice

2012-01-15T22:03:00.001+05:30

First of all, let me wish all of my wonderful friends a very Happy 2012 :) Hope the new year has been good so far!Its been good for me.Just that I'm lagging behind on my blog!Happy Pongal to everyone too.

I've been away for 2 reasons one my laptop has been broken and this Pongal season brought us a new one and secondly we were away on our Christmas break(which was also our getting well break...yes all of us sick and recovering :( ).So now I have a new laptop(whistles...I've been admiring it :) Dell Inspiron) and thanks to which I'm slowly back to blogging! I just can't even begin to tell anyone how i missed my blog, and it dawned on me that I am addicted to blogging :)

This is my first entry to Kalyani's Magic Mingle(MM).The idea behind MM is each month the blog partners would be given 2 magic ingredients and we need to use both of those magic ingredients in our dishes :) exciting idea isn't it?I was sad when I knew i couldn't post this month, because even though the ingredients for this month - Cinnamon and chillies, initially scared me i eventually found an easy idea-Pudhina/mint rice.Flavored rice is such a blessing, especially when packing lunch boxes.Even my LM seems to like this one.

Magic ingredients

I made pudhina rice often since DH has started carrying lunch.Its quick, easy and tasty :) 3 good enough reasons to make it.

This is how i make it.You need

Rice 2 cups (i used boiled rice)
Onions 1 medium sliced finely
Garam masala whole1 inch pieces 2, cardamom 2 nos, cloves 4 nos
Aniseed 1 tsp
Water 5 and half cups
Curd 1 tablespoon
Salt to taste
Butter/oil/ghee 1 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon

Grind to a paste
Mint 1 small bundle/handful
Cilantro 1 small bundle/handful
Ginger 1/2 inch piece
Green chillies 1 (as much as you need)
Cashews 5(you can add more)

Heat butter in a pan, fry the washed and drained rice in the butter until the rice turns white and set aside.
Heat the pressure cooker or heat bottom pan in which you are cooking the rice, heat the butter or oil, add the whole garam masala once it pops, add the chopped onions and fry till soft.
Add the ground green paste and fry well for 2 minutes.Now add the curd and stir well.
Add the fried rice and stir well in the green spice mix.
Add the required amount of water for the rice to cook.
Add salt to taste.
Cover and cook for about 15 minutes on medium flame.
Once the pressure cooker cools down, fluff the rice with a fork.

Serve the pudhina rice with fried potatos and raita.

Tips:

I have used boiled rice which can be well substituted with basmati rice.
The amount of water used will vary from rice to rice.If using basmati rice, you need 2 cups of water for every 1 cup of unsoaked basmati rice.If the rice is soaked, less than 2 cups about 1 and half cups would be sufficient.

Sending this to Magic Mingle @ Sizzling tastebuds and Let's cook #11~Rice@TicklingPalettes

Green moong pancakes/Pesaratu

2011-12-28T01:38:00.017+05:30

I heard about these dosas a few weeks back from my close friend.I was eager to try and this week for blog hop wednesday, i have been partnered with Priya from Bon Appetit.I had a varied choice on her blog.I decided to make the pesarattu as i had already heard accolades from my friend.

Pesarattu is associated to the Telugu cuisine.Its a dosa/crepe like bread made primarily of rice and green moong beans.

This is how i made it:

Raw rice 1 cup
Green moong beans 3/4 cup
Urad dal/Black lentils a handful (optional..i didn't add it)
Green chillies 1 or 2 as per your spice levels.
Ginger 1" piece
Salt to taste
Onions chopped finely 1 cup to sprinkle

Soak the rice and dals for a few hours (5-6 hrs) or over night.Drain excess water and grind to a thick batter.
Mix the salt and let the batter sit for a while
Heat the pan/tawa to make the pesarattu/dosa.
Pour laddle fulls of batter, sprinkle chopped onions on top and drizzle the ends with sesame oil or vegetable oil.

Cook on both sides until light brown in color.
Serve with onion chutney like i did or any spicy tangy chutney.

Tasty healthy pesarattus are ready for breakfast!

Linking this to BHW @ tickling palates.

Chicken Dum Biryani

2011-12-23T10:44:00.001+05:30

I must admit recently I have started losing my touch at making nonveg dishes :) even my DH has made that clear to me.I was all geared up to prove that i haven't lost and what better way to impress folks than a chicken biryani.

I watched this recipe on a tv show made by a pakistani housewife.I knew i had to try it out then!
Its the first time I've tried a layered biryani.I have helped my dad assemble his yummy fish biryani many a times.(drool ).I'd like to say that we used to order out from The Hyderabadi Biryani shop in Bangalore and its easily one of the best biryanis i have had till date.

I just followed the general procedure and the spices, adjusting the rest of the stuff to our tastes.The end product was a beautiful yummy biryani.

How i made it...I'll try to explain the process in 3 steps :

for the chicken marinade:
Chicken half kg
Red chilli powder 2 tsp
Coriander powder 2 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Ground fennel seed powder 1/2 tsp
Oil 1 tsp

In a mixing bowl, add all the above ingredients and marinate for about 3-4 hours or overnight if you can.(atleast an hour is recommended)

To make the rice:

Basmati rice 2 cups

Whole garam masala cloves 4,cardamoms 3,cinnamon sticks 3 sticks 1" each

salt to taste

Add enough water to cover the rice and add the whole spices and cook until the rice is tender but not too soft.
Add the salt to taste and drain the water out and allow the rice to cool well.

To make the masala for the biryani:

Onions 2 large/3 medium sliced thinly
Tomatoes 3 large
Potato 1 large chopped finely into thin slices
Fresh Ginger garlic paste 1.5 tablespoon
Dhaniya/coriander powder 2 tsp
Chilli powder 2 tsp
Green chilli 1 or 2 slit at the top only
Roasted and ground fennel + cumin seeds powder 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Garam masala 1 tsp
Ghee/Dalda + oil 2 3 tablespoons (or more makes it more tasty but we need to watch our health)
Yogurt 4 tablespoons
Lime juice 1 tablespoon + Saffron/ orange color a pinch

Salt to taste

Whole garam masala 2 3 of each cloves,cardamoms,bayleaf,cinnamon

mint leaves a small bunch chopped finely

Cilantro a small bunch chopped finely

Nuts and sultanas as required (optional)

Heat oil in a vessel, add the whole spices, then fry the onions till brown.
Add the ginger garlic paste and fry it well.
Now add the chicken to this and fry it well until the chicken fries well in this aromatic oil.
Once the chicken is tender add the potatoes and cook well until they have a crust.
Next add the tomatoes and add a pinch of salt to speed the cooking process of onions and tomatoes.Let the tomatoes mash well and the oil leaves the sides.
Add the spice powders - chilli, ground cumin,dhaniya,turmeric and garam masala.Let this blend well into a gravy with the onions and tomatoes.At this stage the gravy will be nice and thick.
Add the yogurt to make the gravy nice and juicy.Check for salt.Cover and cook well until the chicken and the potatoes are nice and soft.
Transfer this to another plate.

Assembling the biryani:

In the same biryani we prepared the gravy, lay half the rice we have been cooling.Next a generous sprinkling of lime juice and chopped leaves.
Now place all of the gravy we have prepared.
To the remaining rice, add the lime juice+orange color and mix well.You have a orange colored layer of rice.
On top of the chicken gravy, lay the orange colored rice.and top with some more green leaves.

When serving cut through all the layers and scoop up to have an equal serving of all the layers.Serve with curd raitha :)

Sending this to Royal Feast Biryani@Kaarasaram, Christmas Delicacy@Erivumpuliyumm

Crumbs - Black and White Wednesday

2011-12-21T02:15:00.018+05:30

MY FAVOURITE BREAKFAST - PEANUT BUTTER AND JAM SANDWICH

My entry to BWW @ The Well seasoned Cook.

Banana Pancakes

2011-12-14T04:03:00.003+05:30

We are at our next blog hopping session.I have been paired with Nayna of Simply.Food this week.She has a number of delicacies and so i was spoilt for choice.
But since i'm a big fan of pancakes so i chose to re-create her banana chocolate pancakes.

I just need an excuse to make pancakes.I love them and love serving them too.I had 2 or more reasons to make pancakes this time...first..for BHW and then just before the weekend my mixer broke!So I really didn't have anything much to make for breakfast.Except that its tad bit sweet, nothings wrong with having pancakes for breakfast.My DH was looking around something spicy after having these.

I did make some changes to suit our palates.

Here's how i made it...

All purpose flour 1.5 cup
Egg 1 beaten
Yogurt 1 tablespoon
Milk 1/2 cup (enough to make the batter to the right consistency)
Baking powder 3/4 tsp
Baking soda 3/4 tsp
Sugar 3/4th cup
Vanilla Essence 1tsp
Mashed banana 1
Salt a pinch
Oil/Butter 1 tsp

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and with a fork or wooden spoon mix into it the rest of dry ingredients.Mix in the powders and sugar and set aside.
Beat the egg until frothy then add the yogurt and beat with it.Add the oil and mix them all until mixed well.
Add the egg mix to the flour mix and mix well.Add enough milk to make it into a thick batter.(pancake batter has to be thick not too thick and not to thin)

Allow to sit for a while.
Heat a griddle/pan, grease it lightly and pour a ladle full of batter and cook on low flame until bubbles form on the sides of the pancakes.Flip it over and cook on the other side.
Repeat for the rest of the batter.

Serve pancakes hot with any fruit jam of your choice or honey and fruits.

Sending this to Blog HopWednesdays @ Tickling palates and Kids' delight @ Spice your life

Breakfast - Black and White Wednesday

2011-12-14T01:53:00.000+05:30

A magazine, muffin and a cup of tea...is the way to start a beautiful winter's day :)

Breakfast is ready :)

Muffins are the easiest breakfasts to make.I baked these beautiful chocolate chip muffins and so far have been the most liked by my LM.She even happily takes them in her snack box.Check out the recipe here.

My entry to BWW @ The Well seasoned Cook.

Chocolate chip muffins

2011-12-12T20:35:00.003+05:30

Just in time for Christmas these beautiful easy muffins so you can share some festive cheer and joy with friends and family!Christmas is a time for giving and what better reason to bake :)

On a cold winter's day, what more does one need to get your minds started :)

Good Morning :)

I have been hunting for chocolate chips and muffin liners for a while here in vain!So my mom got me some and I'm more than pleased with them, which is why i jumped at making these beauties.And this recipe is a keeper!

Muffins, I feel much more easier to bake than cakes :) Its just more interesting to make these small cakes.i wasn't a big fan of it until we went to London and were spoiled for choice of muffins!And once you start baking them you'll fall in love with it.

Preparation Time : 30 mins (mixing time) + 30 mins (baking time)
Makes 22 mini muffins
Recipe from Allrecipes.

All purpose flour/Maida 2 cups
White sugar 3/4cup
Baking powder 3 tsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
Milk 1 cup
Vegetable oil 3/4 cup
Egg 1
Chocolate chips 1 cup

Warm water about half a cup

Preheat the oven to 250C and line the muffin tray or grease the tray and keep aside.

Sift the flour, baking power in a mixing bowl.Add the sugar to this.And leave aside.
Mix the chocolate chips to the flour.
Now beat the egg in a bowl until frothy,add the oil to this.And then the milk.Mix all of this well.
Add the wet mixture to the dry flour mixture.Mix well to get a batter that can be dropped from the spoon.
Add the warm water enough to make it the right consistency.
Scoop the batter into the muffin liners until half.
Bake the muffins at 200C for 25minutes or until done.
The tops will be cracked and crispy and the inside will be spongy soft!

Chocolate chip muffins are ready to share with friends and family!

And some more clicks...And sending across the Joy and cheer of the Christmas season :)

Sending this to Bake fest 2@Spicy Treats, Christmas Delicacy@Erivumpuliyumm,JATW@Edible Entertainment,Baked goodies@tickling palates,Holiday Baking@Srav's CC

Moong Bread Rolls

2011-12-09T04:56:00.025+05:30

I was really hungry one afternoon and as i had stashed some cooked moong beans in the refrigerator...it came to my untimely help!The end product was one yummy dish!

I also made wraps out of them and that was even tastier.Me and DH finished off dinner with just the chapatis and these rolls.

This is how i made it...

Green moong beans 1 cup cooked and cooled (drain any excess water)
Bread slices 3
Rice flour 2 tablespoons(or lesser)
Salt to taste
Chaat masala to taste (optional)
Chilli powder 1 tsp ( more or less)
Oil to deep fry

For the wraps:
Chapatis 2
Tomato sauce to spread
Mayonnaise to spread
Chopped vegetables onions, tomatoes,cucumbers as required

Add the cooked moong beans to a bowl.Mash it well with hands or the back of a spoon.
Soak the bread slices in some water and squeeze out the extra water.Add the bread crumbles into the moong beans.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix well into a dry mixture.
Heat oil in a wok to fry, make rolls of the mixture and drop into the oil.Fry until crunchy brown.
Serve as it is with tomato sauce or make wraps like i did.

To make the wraps: spread the tomato sauce,mayonnaise and arrange the moong rolls and vegetables, wrap it up and serve immediately.
Delicious rolls ready to served :)

Tips:

- My mix was really runny so i had to add more rice flour which turned out ok too.

- I didn;t have a very dry mix still it didn;t break while frying.But i would suggest to drain off the extra water from the moong beans.

Sending this to Kid's Delight@Spice Up Your Life, Winter Carnival@Tickling Palates, MLLA@Sumadhura&The well seasoned cook,Snacks Mela@Cooking4allseasons,JATW@Edible Entertainment

Spoonful - Black and White Wednesday

2011-12-07T09:00:00.003+05:30

Yet another Wednesday and my entry to Susan's BWW is

I made the very famous dessert tiramisu last week.It was really yummy.I had done a lot of research(and dreaming about it) on what alternative i can use for the mascarpone cheese.

Check out the recipe here.

Sending this to BWW @the well seasoned cook.

Spinach-Chickpea Buns

2011-12-06T14:35:00.002+05:30

Everyone must have tried palak paneer, a friend mentioned spinach and chickpeas, i have seen this dish in restaurants,never made it by myself,and also I haven't been able to go and pick a loaf of bread from the stores.So i found myself baking bread yet again.Over the weekend, a whole lot of articles appeared in the newspapers on how the locally packed bread in India are really unhealthy.So more reason to make bread!

As i was preparing the chana palak, the bread dough was rising, the idea came to stuff the bread.It was a good idea.I finally even got my LM to eat some palak!!Achievement.Palak/Spinach and chickpeas are both good and healthy in their own ways and a combination can only be better!

This is how i made it.

Flour 3 cups (1.5 cups wheat flour+ 1.5cup all purpose flour/maida)
Honey 1 tablespoon
Sugar 1 tablespoon
Salt 1 tsp
Warm water 1 cup
Yeast 1 and half tsp
Dry milk powder 1 tablespoon
Oil 2 tablespoons

Add the flours in a mixing bowl, add the yeast,salt and sugar with honey and milk powder.
Add enough warm water to make a smooth dough.
Apply 1 tablespoon oil and knead well until the oil vanishes from your hands and the dough springs back when you push it.
In a greased bowl, keep the dough and roll it once so the dough is coated with oil well.Cover and leave it for about 1 hour or more to double in size.
Once the size has doubled, punch the air out and dust the counter or a wooden board where you can make the rolls.
Take a ball of dough the size of an orange and roll it into a rectangular shape and place a teaspoon of the filling along the length of the roll and seal the sides applying water on the sides.

Else make round shape and stuff it with the filling and bring all sides together.
Arrange them in a baking tray and bake at 180C for 25-30 minutes until the bottoms begin to brown.

To make the filling:

Spinach 2 cups blanched with salt

Chick peas 1 cup cooked and cooled

Onions 1 small

Tomato 1 small (optional)

Ginger 1 inch piece crushed

Coriander powder 1 tsp

Ground cumin seed powder 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil 1 tablespoon

Chilli powder 1 tsp

Puree the blanched spinach and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan, add the onions,ginger and fry,
Add the spinach puree and cook until the raw smell goes away.
Add the cooked chick peas and cook well until all blend well.
Add salt to taste and the masala powders.
Cover and cook for 10 minutes until its a nice dry gravy.(You can use this as a side dish for chapatis too).Mash the chick peas which will make the filling nice and thick and easier to stuff the breads.
Let this cool before you make the filling.

Enjoy hot rolls with tomato sauce or as it is.

Tips:

- The above measures will yield about 8 medium buns.

- the rectangular shape was easier to make the stuffing than the round ones.

Sending this to Let's bake and Merry @ ticklingpalates, Snacks Mela@Cooking4allseasons, Bake fest2 @Spicytreats, Lets cook for Christmas Red and green@Simply.Food

My 100th post - Tiramisu-Eggless version

2011-12-02T12:58:00.002+05:30

I can't believe how soon i have reached my 100th post.I started this blog with premonition, unsure of what the response would be.Since I'm still going on, I'm loving this blog and everything that takes to making my dream a reality.
I must especially mention all those who come by Spicy foood and drop in their valuable thoughts which is absolutely necessary to better myself and keep spicyfoood going on.Keep coming and giving me your beautiful words of encouragement.

Celebrations call for sweet dishes, and what better way to celebrate!I want to share with you this world renowned dessert - Tiramisu.Ever since I decided to make this dessert, I have literally been dreaming of this(I know how jobless could i be!).So I thought enough of losing sleep and lets get down to making it.

The original recipe calls for raw eggs (like many of u already know), but don;t let that stop you from making it.I haven't seen many kinds of cheese in India(except the normal cheese slices), so I searched and searched to conclude hung curd will do justice to the cheese part of the dessert.This may not be the traditional way to make it but I think i'm going to stick to this :)

Here's how i made it....

Preparation time: 30 minutes(+ preparation of hung curd, etc)
Makes 3 glasses.

You need :
Hung curd made from half cup of curd
Cream (Amul fresh cream) Half cup (whipped) + another 4-5 tablespoons(to melt the chocolate)
Sweetened Condensed Milk 1/2 cup (or as much sweet as you need)(I used Amul Mithai Mate)
Milk Chocolate 2 tablespoons(chopped roughly)
Lady finger Biscuits 10 nos (or vanilla sponge cake)
Coffee Decoction 1 cup(brew it strong i used 1 cup of water and 3 tsps of Bru powder)
Vanilla Essence 2 tsp

You need a little prepping up for this dessert, I have used hung curd(instead of mascarpone cheese)(pour the curd into a muslin and let the whey water separate) we need the creamy portion in the cloth.Set this aside.(this will take about 5-6 hours)
Whip cream for about 20 minutes(I did it with a fork and since it was my first time with cream/whipping cream, I stopped after 20 minutes).
Now fold in both the hung curd and whipped cream with the condensed milk.And add the vanilla essence to this mix and fold it in until mixed well.Leave in the refrigerator for 2 hours.(lets call this the white mix)

Lady-finger biscuits; Brown and white mixes

Using a double boiler, melt the chocolate with 5 tablespoons of cream.This will be done in about 5 minutes.Set aside to cool/refrigerate.( this the brown mix)

Assembling the Tiramisu:

I used glass tumblers as I just wanted small portions,you can set it in any pudding bowl.
Soak the lady fingers in coffee and set it at the bottom of each glass, now spoon a layer of the white mix, followed by brown mix.Repeat with coffee soaked ladyfinger biscuits,white mix,brown mix.You get the idea!
Repeat for each of the glasses.
Refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

Serve the tiramisu with chocolate shavings!

Tips:

I made the hung curd in the morning and even though it was a little wet I thought it was fine.
Any semi sweet biscuits like Marie biscuits could do justice or plain vanilla sponge cake.
After the first set of layering ie biscuits,white and brown parts, i put the glass in the refrigerator until i did the other two glasses, then repeat the procedure for the next layer.
I got 2 sets of layers in each glass!

Sending this Sinful Delights@Zesty Palette, Love Lock with sweets@Sweetkaramkapi,ChristmasNewyeareve@Hema's and Christmasdelicacies@Erivumpuliyumm,Jingle All the way@Edible entertainment

Rice Murukku

2011-12-01T12:50:00.001+05:30

I'm already in the Christmas mood.Its still only the first week of my favorite month.And I'm hoping to post a few Christmas goodies posts.This being the first of them :)

Murukku is a common fried snack in all parts of India especially the South.I had earlier tried the yellow moong murukku check it out here.
Now i tried this which is a more traditional way to make the murukku.With the remaining dough i tried to make seedai which are fried balls of the same dough.

You need
Rice flour 1 cup
Urad dal (roasted and powdered) 3 tablespoons
Ajwain seeds/Carrom seeds 1 tablespoon
Salt to taste
Butter 2 tablespoons
Oil to deep fry
Murukku maker/press

Mix all the ingredients to make a soft dough.Not to sticky just right a pliable dough.Adding too much butter will make the murukku go too soft and so will not hold the shape, ending up with broken murukkus.
Heat oil in a kadai/wok, press the dough out in a murukku press/achi into the oil, fry until golden brown.
Drain the fried murukku on tissue papers.
Repeat for the remaining dough.Before putting each batch of dough into the press wet your hands and roll the dough so it won't go too dry and thus difficult to press out.
For the last batch of dough, roll them into tiny balls and deep fry them to make the seedai.

Store in airtight containers.keeps good if stored well for about a week.
Serve and share with friends and neighbors during the Festive season.

Dal Makhani - Blog Hop Wednesdays

2011-11-30T03:38:00.001+05:30

Its the third week of blog hopping for me and its been an ever so pleasing experience.To decide on a recipe to re-create from a fellow blogger,is really fun.This time I have decided to make Dal Makhani.
The Dal in this dish comprises of a mixture of rajma/red kidney beans, urad dal/Black lentils, and chick peas/chana or chana dal.

This time I have a versatile blogger Vatsala of Show and Tell as my partner and I loved going through her array of recipes.Since I had been planning on making Dal(Lentils) makhani (buttery/creamy), I jumped at the opportunity.I have followed this recipe from Vatsala and also this version which I had tried the first time I ever made this dish 3 years ago in Bangalore.

Here's how i made it :

Rajma (red kidney beans) 1/3 cup,
Black lentils(urad dal with skin which is black in color) 1cup
Black/white chick peas(kala chana) 1/3 cup(optional)
Green chillies 1 or 2
Ginger 1 inch piece grated
Garlic 3 pods grated
Salt to taste

To prepare the tadka

Ghee/Butter 1-2 tablespoons

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Garlic pods 2 crushed

Asoefetida/hing 1/4 tsp

Tomato puree of 2 medium tomatoes

To finish the dish

Cream 2 tablespoons(or less)

Garam masala powder 1 tsp

Chilli powder 1tsp

Soak the dals over night and pressure them with the ginger,garlic and green chillies with salt to taste.
When the cooker cools, open it and crush the lentils with a heavy ladle.
Heat the ghee/butter in a pan, add the cumin seeds and garlic, allow garlic to change color slightly, add the asoefetida, now add the tomato puree and fry until the raw smell goes away.
Add the cooked and smashed lentils.
Let the lentils absorb the tomato puree and add enough salt to taste.
Add a tablespoon of cream and mix well.Add enough water to reach the consistency you require.

Turn off the heat, sprinkle garam masala powder and chilli powder on top and serve with a dollop of cream(optional).
Serve hot with chapatis or steamed rice.

BHW is powered by Radhika @tickling palates.

and to MLLA @ Briciole and The well seasoned cook

Fried Rice crispies : Black and White Wednesday

2011-11-30T02:14:00.000+05:30

I love sending pictures to Susan for the BWW event.There are a number of beautiful,speechless pictures that scream out a million messages.

I make small batches of these murukkus because my lil one will finish off only these in her snack box.Officially, also festival goodies too.Since Christmas is almost here,I'm making them more often now.

Sending these to BWW @ The well seasoned cook

Pav Bhaaji

2011-11-27T17:41:00.001+05:30

What an accomplishment, I made pav bhaaji from scratch!I had the craving to have pav bhaaji and wanted to run to a hotel and have a mouth full, because of the fowl weather we weren;t able to go out later in the evenings.So I somehow managed to mellow down my cravings for a few days.And meanwhile kept hunting for recipes.

Pav Bhaaji is a very popular street food in Mumbai.I first tasted it when i moved to Mumbai for further studies and fell in love with the street food...vada paav, ragda patties,pav bhaaji to name a few.At home in Mumbai, we buy fresh pavs from the local baker,I would have never thought of baking it at home until my recent obsession with bread making.Pav/laadi paav means a slab of bread rolls, and bhaaji means a vegetarian side dish.So pav bhaaji is one great finger licking combination of bread and tangy vegetable gravy.

To make the pav:
Flour 2 cups(1 cup all purpose flour + 1 cup wheat flour)
Sugar 2 tsp
Baking soda 1/2 tsp
Salt 1 tsp
Yeast 1 tsp
Warm water 1 -1.5 cups
Butter/Oil 3 tablespoons(or lesser)
For brushing: Warm Milk 2 tablespoons and Melted Butter 1 tablespoon

In a mixing bowl, add the flours, sugar,salt and yeast and baking soda.Add the warm water and knead into a smooth dough.
Add the oil little by little and knead until the oil disappears into the dough.
You can stop kneading when the dough springs back when you push it with your finger.Apply oil generously on the dough and cover with cling film and set it aside in a oven.The dough will take about 1 hour to double in size.
Once the dough has risen well(doubled), dust a counter top, put the dough on the counter and roll into a rectangle, now cut into rectangular buns and place in a buttered baking tray.Again cover these cut buns and allow to raise again for an hour or so.(since i used wheat flour it didn't raise much after this point, but the pavs were soft).
Preheat the oven to 250C and just before pushing the tray to bake, brush milk on the bun tops.
Bake for 25 minutes until the tops are crusty and bottoms are lightly beginning to brown or tap to see if hollow.At this point take the pavs out and brush melted butter and keep it in the hot oven turning off the power.
Hot pavs are ready to be eaten with bhaaji or just tea.

To make the Bhaaji
Onions 1 large/2medium size chopped finely
Tomatoes 1 large/ 2 medium chopped finely
Ginger garlic paste 1 tablespoon
Boiled Vegetables 2 cups(Potatoes 2 large,Cauliflower florets 1/2 cup,Beans 5-6,Carrots 1 small-chopped,Capsicum 1 small-diced,Peas a handfull)
Pav Bhaaji Masala 2 tablespoons(Everest brand)
Lime juice 1 tablespoon or more
Chopped Cilantro a handful
Oil/Butter 2 tablespoons

Heat oil in a pan, add onions fry until soft and transparent.Add the ginger garlic paste next, now add the tomatoes.
Add the mashed vegetables into the onion tomato gravy.
Add the pav bhaji masala and salt to taste.
Once the vegetables cook well in the masalas, turn off the stove and add chopped cilantro and lime juice.

To serve, cut the pav in half lengthwise apply butter or ghee and roast the inner sides on a pan, and serve hot with the bhaaji.Top the bhaaji with chopped onions and lime wedges, a dollop of butter (indulgence!)

Linking this to Winter Carnival @ Tickling tastebuds, Bake Fest @ Zesty Palette and Christmas Delicacy @ Erivum Puliyum

Dal Fry And a quick snack!

2011-11-23T22:02:00.001+05:30

When the mood to make dinner is lost, it has to be this easy to make dal fry.I fall back on it quite too often I must say.And when you do make dal fry, make it a point to try this snack!

The easiest weekday lunch (packed off in DH's lunch box) would peas pulav, dal fry and raita.

You need

Masoor dal/Orange lentils 2 cups
Cilantro chopped a handful
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Salt to taste

To make the tempering
Oil/Ghee 1 tablespoon (or more)
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Red Chillies 1 (optional)
Curry leaves 2 sprigs
Onions 1 medium sliced finely
Garlic pods 3
Asoefetida/hing a pinch
Tomato 2 medium chopped

Masoor dal cooks real fast, needn't be pressure cooked.Just cover and cook with sufficient water, it should be soft in about less than 30 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan, add the cumin seeds, curry leaves, hing powder, red chillies, onions and let fry well until onions are soft.
Add the garlic and tomato and let the tomato mash well.
Once thats done, add the turmeric and chilli powders and salt, let the oil leave the sides of the pan, now add the cooked dal.
Let it simmer well for about 10 minutes,

Garnish with cilantro.

If you have the small puris(pani puri ones), make a small hole with your thumb on the top of the puri and fill it with the dal fry and chaat masala (and add yogurt and onions too).Pop into your mouth!!yum!Makes an easy quick yummy chaat snack!

Linking this Legume Affair @ Briciole and Susan @the wellseasonedcook

Ma'amouls : Black & White Wednesday

2011-11-23T01:45:00.001+05:30

Beautiful cookies baked golden on the top and rich dates filling....

Beautiful, easy and yummy cookies.Not to forget healthy.Don't forget to check the recipe here to see how easy it is to bake.

These are my entry toSusan's BWW .

Ma'amoul - Stuffed date cookies

2011-11-21T23:10:00.007+05:30

I've been eating these stuffed beauties for a long time now, not home made ones though.Recently I got anxious to make it at home.When i started searching the internet, i found innumerable recipes and with an array of interesting fillings.These are pretty popular in the Gulf.

Ma'amoul are small shortbread pastries filled with dates, pistachios, or other dried fruits.Read more about them here.

My DH acclaimed they were as good as the shop ones.I have generously followed the recipe from here

Here's how i made it.

For the Filling:

Dates paste 2 tablespoons (pitted dates about 15 to 20)
Sugar coated ginger candy 5 6 pieces ( or dry ginger powder 1/4 tsp) (optional)
Water 2 tablespoons
Salt a pinch
For the Cookie Dough:

Flour 2 cups (= 1 cup wheat flour + 1 cup All purpose flour)

Baking powder 1 tsp
Confectioner's sugar 1 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons for dusting (powdered sugar)
Salt a pinch
Butter 1/2 cup
Vegetable oil 2 tablespoons
Milk (boiled and cooled) 1/4 cup

To make the filling:

Puree the dates and ginger candy with 2 tablespoons of water.Add a pinch of salt and blitz to a smooth paste.Leave it aside.

the beautiful filling...

To make the cookie dough:

In a bowl, sift both the flours and add the salt,baking powder, butter and oil and mix well to a crumbly mix.Add the oil and bring knead well to bring into a nice smooth dough.
Add the milk and make a smooth dough.
Cover with cling film and refrigerate for an hour.
Now divide into small lemon sized balls (makes about 20 cookies)

To make the cookies :

Preheat the oven at 250C.
Take a ball of dough and roll into a circle the size of your palm(almost). Place about a teaspoon of the filling.
Repeat above step for the rest of the dough.OR if like me make some plain short bread cookies in any shapes you like of the plain cookie dough too.And sprinkle with powdered sugar.

make them in any shape you want

Place the cookies about a few cms apart from each other (they do expand a bit).
Bake these cookies at 220C until the tops are whitish and the bottoms are lightly brown for about 22-25 minutes.

Cool for 10 minutes and they are ready to go...beautiful Ma'amoul cookies!!

Tips:

The original recipe doesn't call to refrigerate the cookie dough, but i refrigerated it for an hour because of some work i couldn't avoid, and realised it was much easier to handle the dough once cool.
Don't get worked up(like me) on stuffing a huge lot into each cookie, the maximum you can place would be much less than a teaspoon.

Linking this to

Bake fest @ Zesty Palette

Christmas Delicacy @ Erivum Puliyum

Winter carnival @ Tickling tastebuds

Global Food fest @ Sizzling tastebuds

Bake with your heart @ A girl's Diary

Thursday Potluck @Show and tell

Green Moong Salad/Sundal

2011-11-20T16:06:00.001+05:30

I had a taste of many sundals for the first time this Navratri, since I live in a largely Hindu locality i had a good experience of those festive 9 days and also got a lot of awareness about the Hindu religion.I particularly took an instant liking to this green moong sundal/salad.I even make it for dinners now with a little addition.

Sundal is just lentils or legumes tossed and tempered with the traditional south indian curry leaves,mustard seeds and coconut.Its such a tasty and nutritious dish all in one shot.My mom used to run after me to have these moong and now I should tell her how i love it!

As a tradition, during each of the 9 days of Navratri a different type of sundal has to be served to the Goddess (scribbles from my gathered knowledge).This year i had a taste of black chick peas sundal (the common of these),green peas sundal, green moong sundal, channa dal sundal, and funnily I didn't even know there were so many types!! :)

How i make it..

Green Moong beans boiled and cooled 2 cups
Sambar Powder 1tsp(optional)
Salt to taste
Cilantro chopped

Tempering
Coconut oil 1 teaspoon (add more if u like of any oil, i just think coconut oil adds to the flavor try it!)
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves 2 3 sprigs
Dried Red chillies 2nos
Coconut scrapped 1 tablespoons (or more as much as u like)

Cook the moong beans and set it aside.
Heat the oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds,curry leaves,dry chillies and coconut scrappings.
Next add the cooked green moong and toss well in this tempering.Add the sambar powder(its optional).

Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with chapatis or have it as it is!

Linking this to

Fast Food not Fat Food@ Now serving

and to Smita's and Edible Entertainment's HCC

Fennel and pepper corn Crescents

2011-11-18T11:04:00.002+05:30

Ever since the garlic rolls turned out good the second time, i've been itching to make bread again.Being a total bread lover, i'm thrilled i can make it at home!Knowing you make it at home makes it healthy tasty and good to have :)

I found the basic recipe while browsing the internet and then tweaked its flavors to my imagination.

You need

All purpose flour 1 cup
Wheat flour (Aashirwad brand) 1 cup
Vegetable oil 2 tablespoons
Warm water 3/4 cup
Sugar 2 tablespoons
Salt 1 tsp
Yeast 1 tsp
Fennel seeds + pepper corns powder 1/5 tsp

Add the flours, sugar, salt and fennel+pepper powder with the oil and mix well to a crumbly mix, then add the yeast and warm water and knead well into a smooth bouncy dough.(This would take about 10 minutes to knead by hand)
Oil the dough well and leave it in a bowl to double in size.Cover with cling film.This will take about 2 3 hours as i have used wheat flour.
Once the dough has double in size, punch the air out and dust the counter or a wooden board and knead well.
I divided the dough into halves and one half i rolled into a thin circle (like a chapati) and cut out 8 portions (like a pizza) .Next take one portion and apply oil/butter to the top side and start rolling from the broader side to the thinner.Continue with all the portions.

The remaining half i divided into 3 balls and made buns out of it.
Place the crescents and bun on a greased tray or baking pan and let it rest for a further one hour or so.

Preheat the oven to 250C and once the second rising has happened, place the tray into the oven and bake 180C for 20 minutes until the tops are crusty and the bottoms are golden brown in color.

Right out of the oven

Serve yummy crescents with cheese or sauce!

Stores good for 2 days if refrigerated and re-heated before serving :)

Linking this to Bake Fest @ Zesty Palette ,

Christmas Delicacy @ Erivum Puliyum ,

Winter Carnival @ Tickling Tastebuds

Savory Baked @ Krithi;s Kitchen , Denny's Kitchen

Fast food Not Fat food @ Now serving

and Global Food fest @ Sizzling tastebuds

Mughlai Veg Biryani

2011-11-17T19:00:00.000+05:30

I was so bored of making the same old pulav and i wanted to fine tune my vegetarian biryani.I had never even tasted this dish so I didn't even know what to keep on looking for.I was on this mad hunt for an unknown recipe i finally realised!

I landed up on some recipe and thought the ingredients were decent and made something which turned out pretty good.

You need
Chopped Vegetables(carrots,beans,cauliflower,peas,potato) chopped 2 cups (or lesser)
Basmati Rice 2 cups
Water 5 cups
Garam masala powder 1 tsp
Coriander powder/dhaniya powder 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Saffron flavored milk 1 tablespoon (i used orange color)
Butter/ghee 2 tablespoons + 1tablespoon
Garam masala whole-cardamoms,cloves,cinnamon few each.
Onions sliced finely 1 large
Fresh mint leaves and cilantro to garnish

To make a paste you need
Almonds 5-10(soaked in warm water and peeled)
Ginger garlic 1 tablespoon
Onion 1 small
Mint leaves a handful
Yogurt 2 tablespoons

Soak the rice and set it aside.After about 30 minutes drain the rice and fry it in a tablespoon of oil/butter.keep aside.
Heat oil in a heavy base pan, add the whole garam masala and let it pop.Now add the onions.
Add the vegetables and fry it well until soft.
Add the ground paste to the pan and fry well.Let the vegetables absorb the juices of the paste.
Add the dry masalas and fry until the oil leaves the sides.
Add the rice and stir well.Add salt to taste and add the water and cover the vessel and cook for 12-15 minutes until rice is soft and tender.

Serve hot with raita.

Sending this to Lets Cook@Tickling Palates.

and HCC@Edible Entertainment and Smita's HCC

Chicken in green spicy curry

2011-11-17T04:09:00.002+05:30

On a day when i was bored of making anything for dinner, I remembered my mom's green chicken but i have altered it to make a thick gravy she makes it a dry dish.Both are equally good!

I know it doesn't look green, my habit- i added turmeric and so the mild green tinge was lost.This was a refreshingly delicious dish mildly spiced and accompanies well with chapatis and indian breads.

You need

Chicken cleaned and chopped 1/2 kg
Vinegar 1 tablespoon
Onions 1 small chopped finely
Salt to taste

For the tempering
Coconut oil/Veg oil 2 tablespoons
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Garam masala whole - cardamom,cloves,bay leaves, cinnamon 3 -4 each
Curry leaves 1 sprig
Dried red chillies 2
Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Grind to a fine paste
Green leaves(curry leaves and cilantro) 1 cup
Cashews 10 nos
Green chillies 2nos
Fennel seeds/saunf 1 tsp
Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp
Curd 2-3 tablespoon

Marinate the chicken with vinegar and salt and let it rest.
Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds let it pop.
Now add the curry leaves, red chillies and then add the onions and chicken and let the chicken fry in that oil for 10 mins.
Once the chicken is slightly brown add the ground paste and let the chicken cook until soft and coated in the gravy.
You can heat it and reduce it to a dry dish or add about half a cup of water and make it into a gravy.

Serve hot with chapatis or parotas.

Lemon Rice - Blog Hop Wednesday

2011-11-16T05:07:00.003+05:30

Lemon/lime rice reminds me of train journeys and the packed lunch we take for the journey.Since lemon rice is flavoured with lemon juice its citric acid keeps the rice good for a longer time(its a belief but we have it for lunch the same day).
Its my second week at Blog Hop Wednesdays.I enjoy Radhika's blog and her event is a great opportunity to re-create recipes from fellow bloggers.

This week I have been paired with Sumedha from Sumee's Culinary Bites.

Being a south indian, lemon rice is quite a frequent visitor on our tables.But I couldn't perfect it for a long way, I must say my mom in law makes a really soft and moist lemon rice.You can find Sumee's recipe here.I found Sumee's version very similar to what my mom in law makes.

Preparation Time : 10 mins ( cooking time of rice is additional)
Feeds 2

Here's what you need..

Cooked(and cooled) rice(basmati or boiled rice) 2 cups

for the tempering:
Oil 1 tablespoon (or more)
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds/fennel seeds 1/2 tsp
Pepper corns 1/2 tsp
Urad dal/black lentils 1 tsp
Peanuts/Chana dal(split bengal gram) 1 tablespoon
Cashew nuts few (optional)
Curry leaves 2 springs
Dried red chillies 2 nos
Asoefetida a pinch
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Lemon juice 1 small sized one

If you are using freshly cooked rice then cook it and allow it to cool on a large plate so the rice grains cool and each grain is separate.
Mix the lemon juice in about 2 tablespoons of water and mix salt to taste and turmeric powder and keep separately.
Heat oil in a pan, add the oil and let it cool.Add the ingredients for the tempering in that order.
Be careful not to heat too much as the tempering will burn if too hot.
Add the lemon juice mixed with turmeric and salt.Let this simmer for a while and then add the cooled rice and stir well until the lemon juice and tempering is coated uniformly on the rice.

Serve hot with boiled eggs,fried potatoes and thuvaiyal.

This goes to Blog Hop Wednesday @ Tickling Palates.

and HCC @ Edible Entertainment and My Tasty Curry.

Crescents : Black & White Wednesday

2011-11-16T01:20:00.001+05:30

I'm smitten by bread making.And I think i have the yeast under control (not being too over confident...but cautious).I made these rolls and they are my entry to Susan's BWW.

My lil LM holding the cresents :)

my lil one holding the lil crescent

I got some really nice comments on these rolls!These are lightly spiced and healthy brown breads.

Recipe will follow shortly :)

Ladyfinger in tomato gravy/Bhindi masala

2011-11-14T11:25:00.002+05:30

I came up with this idea inspired from our common egg burji recipe.I followed suite and this recipe is a keeper!

I regularly make this as its easy to make and also tasty,makes a good combi for both steamed rice and chapatis or indian breads.

You need
Okra/Ladyfingers/bhindi/vendakka 2 cups chopped into 1 inch pieces
Onion 1 large chopped finely
Tomato 1 large chopped finely
Garlic 2 pounded/chopped finely
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tsp
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
salt to taste
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Lime juice 1 tsp
Oil 2 tablespoons

Shallow fry the bhindi/vendakka in a pan until the gooey-ness goes away.
Heat oil in pan, splutter cumin seeds and then add the onions and fry until translucent.
Add the garlic and fry, now add the tomato and let it fry well until the tomato mashes and also the oil starts coming out of the sides.
Now add the masala powders turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder and salt.
Add the fried bhindis and add little bit of water so that the bhindis go soft and get coated well in the onion tomato masala.
Add the lime juice just before you turn off the stove.

Serve bhindi masala hot with chapatis or steamed rice and more kozhambu (spicy yogurt curry).

Sending this to 'Only Curries'@Janaki's Kitchen.

and Edible Entertainment's HCC and My tasty Curry

Vegetable Fried Rice

2011-11-11T12:52:00.002+05:30

I had loads of rice and DH was not coming home for dinner so I turned it into a nice colorful dish to entice LM and was successful at that!

You need
Rice cooked and cooled(best if refrigerated) 1 bowl full
Vegetables finely chopped (beans, capsicum,onions,carrots,cabbage,any you want) about a cup ( or as much as you like)
Garlic pounded 3
Soya sauce 1 tsp
Chilli sauce 1tsp
Tomato Sauce 1 tsp
Vinegar few drops
Oil 2 tablespoon

Heat oil in a wok or pan, add the garlic and immediately add the chopped vegetables.Add salt to taste and let the vegetables cook until soft.
Mix the sauces with the vinegar and add to the pan.Let it simmer for 2 minutes.
Now toss the rice and mix well.

Serve hot :)

Sending this to Flavors of China@Sizzling tastebuds.

Garlic Rolls (Eggless)

2011-11-10T12:44:00.002+05:30

I saw these rolls in Suhaina's blog a few months back now and I had been literally dying to try it out.Being my first time at bread making, like many have been shoo-ed off i too was, with the yeast monster....i got ditched.Yes a first failed attempt at these so simple rolls(surprisingly simple).And i must say these rolls are probably the most tried and tasted ones in the blogging world.

So i couldn't stay away from them within a few weeks of my first (failed) attempt, i had to try them and i woke up one morning straight from the bed to the kitchen to mix the dough for these rolls.And this time i was extra cautious about handling the Yeast monster.

I have halved the original recipe.Here;s what i did..

Yields about 10 mini rolls

All purpose flour 1 n half cups
Yeast 1/2 a tablespoon( i used instant yeast which can be directly added onto the dough)
Warm water (not hot) 1/2 cup or lesser(as u need to make a smooth dough)
Sugar 1 and lil more than a tsp
salt 1 tsp
Oil 1 tablespoon (as u need to knead)
Milk for the wash just before you place into oven

Mix the flour,yeast, salt, sugar and add enough warm water to bring it into a smooth dough.
Keep greasing your fingers with oil and knead.The oil will vanish off your fingers as you knead.Do this step until you get a soft dough and when you press the dough it should spring back.(This was the most trickiest step and i must have failed here during the first time).
Place this in a bowl and cover with cling film and leave in a warm place (like an oven for about 1 hour or more until the dough doubles in size).

While you wait for the dough to rise, make the garlic butter spread :

butter 2 tablespoons or more at room temperature,
Crushed garlic 2 pods
Salt to taste
Herbs of your choice.I used cilantro chopped the first time.(This time i skipped it) and added cumin seeds.
Mix it well and leave it aside.

Check the dough, it should have doubled in size.
Generously dust the counter top or a wooden board with flour, place the dough and dust with flour, and divide the dough into 2 parts.
Take one half of the dough, spread with a rolling pin into a rectangular shape, spread the garlic butter onto the dough.Roll the dough into a log, cut into rolls.Place the cut side up in a greased baking tray or like i used a round steel vessel.
Repeat the above step for the second half of the dough too.
Arrange the rolls in a baking dish and cover with cling film and wait for the rolls to raise in size again.(i waited for an hour or more)
Preheat the oven to 250C and once the oven is nice and hot,brush the tops of the rolls with milk or beaten eggs and push into the oven.I baked the rolls at 160C for about half hour.
You'll know when the rolls are done the tops will be a golden brown tint and the skewer test works too.

soft insides of the rolls!

Yummy garlic rolls are ready to be served with hot Tea!

Tips :

- I used the heels of my palm to stretch the dough from side to side(seen this technique on tv)

- This bread making is a patient process, i had all day to wait for the dough to rise well.And i prefer this, rather than getting impatient for the yeast to work quick!

Happy Bread making!

Linking this to Bake fest @ Zesty Palette

Jar of cookies : B and W Wednesday

2011-11-09T01:35:00.002+05:30

This jar of cookies is my entry to BWW@thewellseasonedcook.

This jar of inviting coconut cookies sitting on the table kept calling out to be captured in a picture.So thats my entry to the BWW event this wednesday!

Kadhai Paneer

2011-11-08T17:31:00.002+05:30

On friday nights, I usually try to make something special to welcome the weekend.My DH is not a big fan of paneer, however us the girls of the house seem to love paneer in any form.

I decided to make this delicious gravy with missi rotis.Kadhai(- wok) Paneer(-cottage cheese) is a Punjabi delicacy, as the name signifies cottage cheese cooked in a wok with colorful peppers and a tomato gravy.
I found this recipe at Nags' here.

You need

Paneer 1 cup cubed
Capsicum about half a medium capsicum cubed ( i didn't use it as i ran out of it)
Onion 1 medium chopped finely
Tomato 1 large pureed + 1 tsp tomato puree(i added ketchup)
Ginger garlic paste 1 tablespoon (freshly pounded)
Green Chillies 1 or 2 ( or as spicy as you need it to be)
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli powder 1 tsp
Dhaniya powder/Coriander powder 1 tsp or more
Salt to taste
Kasuri methi/Dried fenugreek leaves crushed 1 tablespoon
Oil 1 tablespoon

Heat oil in a kadhai (wok/pan who cares) add the cumin seeds and let it pop, now add the green chillies and ginger garlic paste.
I add the paneer at this point to fry and get coated with the aromas of ginger garlic.
Add the tomato paste and let it fry well.
Add the spice powders - red chilli, dhaniya, turmeric powders.
Add the capsicum and let it go soft.
Add salt to taste.
Add the 1 tsp of tomato puree/ketchup(as i did) with the crushed kasuri methi and turn the heat down.

Serve hot with chapatis, naan, or missi rotis as i did.

Sending this to 'ONLY' Curries@Janakipatti'sKitchen. and

HCC@Edible entertainment.

Ribbon Pakodas

2011-11-06T16:16:00.000+05:30

These are the perfect snack anytime anyday with my family!It will vanish immediately!Both the dad and daughter will see to it that the jar is cleared off its contents.But it gives me satisfaction to see that all the hardwork( not much in this case) has good results :)

In this weather, its nice to have crunchy munchies and its safe to have as long as it is home made.

You need

Chick pea flour/Besan 1 cup
Rice flour 3/4 cup
Chilli powder 1 tsp(or more as spicy as you like it)
Salt to taste
Asoefetida/Hing a generous sprinkling
Oil/dalda/butter 1 tablespoon (optional)
Oil to deep fry
Murukku maker/achi with straight lines mould

In a mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients into a nice smooth dough (the smoother it is the easier it will be to press the pakodas on the muruku press).
Heat the oil and once its hot enough, fill the murukku maker with the dough and press it onto the oil.
Fry till golden brown.

Crunchy ribbon pakodas and masala tea make a sooper combination!

Linking this to Winter carnival@tickling palates.

Vanilla Cupcakes with orangy twist

2011-11-04T13:02:00.005+05:30

Like i mentioned earlier I'm taking the rains as an excuse to bake.My LM saw these beautiful muffins in the newspaper and asked for some...I knew where she was getting..she wants the icing not the muffin.I sealed a deal i told her she'll get the icing with the muffin!So muffins it was for her on her rainy day holiday :)

They were an easy and quick recipe i found at Joy Of Baking.

Preparation time: 1 hour (baking + mixing)
Makes 12 mini muffins and 3 large ones

You need

All purpose flour 1 cup (heaped)
Butter/ vegetable oil 1/2 cup(softened at room temperature)
Eggs 2
Milk 1/4 cup
Baking powder 1 n half tsp
Vanilla essence 1 tsp
Orange zest of one orange(original recipes calls for lemon zest)
Sugar half a cup or more
Salt a pinch

Grease the muffin tray or moulds/ line them and set aside.Preheat oven at 250C.
Mix the flour,baking soda, salt and orange zest.Set aside.
Cream the butter(i used oil) with sugar until fluffy.Then add eggs beating well after each addition.Add the milk and vanilla essence beat well until well combined.
Add the wet mix to the dry one mixing in well.
Spoon in the batter to the tray, fill the moulds until 3/4th.
Bake at 160C for 30 minutes or until the tops crack.

For the butter cream icing,I used:

I used a very small portion as it was my first time at icing muffins.

Icing sugar 2 tablespoons

Butter 2 tsp ( softened at room temperature)

Cream 1 tsp

Vanilla essence few drops

Food color of your choice.

Beat all the above into a smooth paste.Make a plastic cone out of any plastic sheet and fill in the icing into it and pipe onto the muffins once they cool.

Beautiful cupcakes with pink frosting ready to gobble down!

Sending this to Bake fest@Zestypalette

and Winter carnival@ticklickpalates

Hummus

2011-11-04T02:00:00.007+05:30

Hummus is a very popular Middle Eastern Dip.I started making it at home when I discovered tahini in the stores.Although tahini is just sesame seed paste, soaking it and grinding does not work.So I had to use the shop gotten one.Hummus is no more a stranger in our country.There are a whole array of multi-cuisine restaurants serving Middle eastern food.The spellings for Hummus are many -hummus, houmous, hommos, humos,hoummos, etc. (Read more about Hummus here)

You can have it as a dip, a sandwich spread or on a cracker, anyway you like it!

This is how i make it and we like it lightly spiced and tangy.

You need
Chickpeas/Garbanzo beans 1 cup boiled and cooled
Garlic pods 2
Pepper corns 5 6
Yogurt 2 tablespoon
Tahini Paste 2 tsp
Lime juice 1 tsp
Olive Oil 1 tablespoon
Salt to taste

Grind all the above in a blender to a smooth paste.

Drizzle the olive oil over the hummus and serve with pita bread, chapatis, or carrot and cucumber sticks.

Store the hummus in a dry jar, it will keep good for a week refrigerated.

Tip:

- Hummus is traditionally made of the white chick peas, this time i used the brown/kala chana and it tasted fine too.