in vogue at home

Pickled Jalapeños n' a note on 'The BBQ Story', Bangalore

2011-07-22T11:52:00.004+03:00

I have to do a blog post today....yeah, HAVE TO. You must have all realized that i'm being rather slow with my blog post updates these days....well let me assure you its not lack of cooking. I have been really busy with guests/friends pouring in (what with me not working anymore more n' all, I'm the only one with loads of time on my hands) n' on top of that I'm just not inspired to take photographs of what I have been cooking. Don't know why, i'm hoping its just a phase n' it will soon be over. I have heard some bad news yesterday which has left me feeling gutted. Well mopping up is over n' I have decided to do a blog post today.

I have mentioned Chef Sarabjeet in my Hara Bhara Paneer Tikka post a while back. I met him at this Weber grill workshop here in Bangalore. Now he n' his friends are working together on projects/workshops to make food enthu people like you n' me, convert that enthu into some serious skills in the kitchen. They call it 'The BBQ Story' n' "Learn, Grill n' Chill" is there motto. :) So far, they have done 3 workshops, missed out on the 2 of them, but I ensured I could take part in the 3rd one n' I enjoyed it a lot. Some of you who have added me on Facebook must have seen some of the snaps here. The menu that day was Banglore Muslim Dum Biryani, Chicken Malai Tikka, Grilled Ghost Kheema Tikka, Grilled Fish Wrapped in Plaintain leaf with a Coriander marinade.. The Biryani was to die for, the recipe was simple, but the tips n' pointers the Chefs there tell us while cooking are irreplaceable. All in all, it was just an awesome Sunday for me. Please read more about them here n' follow them for more regular updates. They are coming up with BBQ Chapter 4 on 24th July...the details are as under.

Chef Sarabjeet says...."Learn to make,Country style Grilled Steaks and Home made fresh Sausages, and lots more...!!!!!!
When..????-24th July, Sunday
But what time..?? 10am onwards
Now..Where..?? @ Yolk Studio Kormangala
How to book..? Call sarabjeet on 9916580506 or text Sushil on 9880340900
and to drink??......:) Wines from Nine Hills..!!!!!..come learn, grill and chill..!"

Coming to today's recipe, its a simple recipe for some fuss free Pickled Jalapeno Peppers. I love pickled jalapenos, if I see them listed as an ingredient while ordering a Pizza, i'm almost always biased towards that pizza. Buying them in Bangalore is an expensive option. I buy a 200gms of sliced jalapeno pickle for Rs.75/-. So when I saw a packet of fresh Jalapenos here, I just had to buy them. Having no clue how to pickle them didn't help. Saw lot of takes on how to do some fancy way of pickling them. But I decided to stick with this simple version. The recipe is adapted from here.

Ingredients:

1. Fresh Jalapeños: 250gms (whole or sliced)
2. Salt: 1tbsp
3. White Vinegar: 1cup
4. Water: 1 cup

Method:

Step 1: Warm the jar you want to put the pickle in. (I kept it in the MW for 1.30 seconds)

Step 2: Pack the jalapeños in the warm glass jar. Since I used whole Jalapeños Peppers, I prodded them with a serrated knife to ensure that they soak up the brine.

Step 3: In a saucepan, add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for about 5 minutes. (I just boiled the mixture in MW for 2mins).

Step 4: Pour hot brine over top. Bubble your jars thoroughly by tapping them firmly on the countertop and using a wooden chopstick to release any stubborn bubbles. Wipe rims, apply lids and bands.

For a crunchy bite, you can start nibbling on them within a few hours. As for softer texture, let this sit for 4-5 days. They say you can keep it refrigerated for upto two months.
They taste awesome in a sandwich n I plan to take some for my mom who is a huge fan of Sandwiches n' pickled veggies. Happy Cooking!!! :)

Vanilla Cupcakes (Oh! I love them.....)

2011-07-19T15:29:00.000+03:00

After my happy experiences with the Blueberry n Banana Muffins and the Mangoes n' Figs Muffins, I decided to learn cupcakes. Both Rj n' me, we love vanilla cupcakes. Ok, I stand corrected, he loves it more than me. We used to buy them often before, but he turned sugar conscious a while ago n' we stopped buying them. I baked these babies n' he is begging for more on most days. Ever since I tried them the first time, I have made them twice again after that. That's how good this recipe is.

The recipe source? Ria's Collection. If you check her blog, on the homepage it self, you will see these oh! so pretty vanilla cupcakes she had baked recently with a friend. I had visited her blog to check out another recipe, but I saw these n' fell in love instantly. I just had to try them, n' the cupcakes comes out perfectly. The texture is just great. I didn't use the chocolate frosting, that will go well with this, just coz we like them plain. The lesson I learned from it? Find a reliable source for good simple baking recipes n' I can get over my fear and have good results. I haven't changed the recipe much, I have just reduced the amount of salt by half from Ria's recipe. With this I learnt the simple n' yummy basic cupcakes. My sincere thank you to Ria for sharing such a nice recipe.

Ingredients:
(Makes about 16 cupcakes if you are using big cupcake liners)
1. All purpose flour: 2 cups
2. Baking powder: 2 tsp
3. Salt: 1/4 tsp (omit if you are using salted butter)
4. Castor sugar: 1 cup
5. Unsalted butter: 1/2 cup (room temperature)
6. Eggs: 2nos
7. Milk: 1/2 cup (room temperature)
8. Vanilla extract: 2 tsp

Method:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F. Keep the cupcake trays also ready by placing the cupcake liners in them.

Step 2: Sift the dry ingredients (Flour, Baking Powder and Salt) together, if possible, thrice.

Step 3: Cream the butter and sugar for 3 mins.Add in the eggs one by one and beat it will for 1 minute after each addition. (I'm guessing the time is mentioned coz we need to get the consistency right, I loved that bit of precision in the recipe. Great for an amateur like me.)

Step 4: Next with the motor running,add the sifted flour and milk alternately starting and ending with flour.By now the batter should be light and fluffy.

Step 5: Spoon it into the cupcake liners, about 2/3 rd's full, which will be about 2 1/2 tbsp.

Step 6: Bake for 20-25 mins or till the top is lightly golden brown in colour and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (it took mine only about 20mins)

Step 7: Remove from the tin immediately and let it cool completely before frosting (if you opt to frost it).

Honestly, I loved this recipe n' it helps me produce great results. In a span of 3 weeks, I have made this three times. Having guests at home helps. :) Happy cooking!!! or better still Happy Baking!!! :)

Mangoes Figs n' Walnut Muffins

2011-07-19T14:52:00.000+03:00

I have been missing from here since a while now. Just having been having some issues with time management. Have been having people over at home n that has kept me off the Internet n' in the kitchen or out shopping with them. :)....I wonder how many awesome recipe updates I must have missed out on of my blogger friends out here. Well, I hope to catch up on that in couple of days...:) After my big proclamation about learning to bake in my kitchen itself. I have been kinda doing well in the baking department. I'm guessing it has something to do with the great recipes I have found. I'm gonna do 2 small posts today.

I'm baking something again today n' I'm looking forward to it already. The first post are these muffins. The Blueberry Banana Muffins I had done had come out so well I wanted to try some more. Just to make sure it wasn't fluke n' that I did have a great recipe n' some amount of skill to get it right. Why this combinations? I'm not too sure, I just went with things I like n' I had with me in the kitchen. With this second batch also coming out really well, I'm comfortable with my muffin recipe n' would substitute the fruits with anything in season n' know that they will turn out well. I have used the exact recipe from the Blueberry Muffins recipe here. The only change is I have used fresh ripe mangoes, along with some chopped figs n' crushed walnuts for sprinkling on top instead of Blueberry n' Banana. With this I salute my Muffin Recipe. I made 15 muffins using this recipe.

Ingredients:

1. All Purpose Flour (Maida): 3 cups minus 2tbsp
2. Baking soda: 1tsp
3. Baking powder:2 tsps
4. Heavy pinch of salt
5. Caster sugar: 1 cup
6. Vegetable oil: 1/2 cup (or half a cup of melted butter) *
7. Egg: 1no
8. Yogurt (plain n unflavored) : 1 generous cup (throw in extra if you want)
9. Mangoes(ripe n fresh):1 and a half cup
10. Figs (chopped): 1/2 cup
10. Vanilla Extract/Essence : 1tbsp
11. Softened Butter, for muffin tins (I used the cupcake liners so didn't need this)
12. Caster sugar (optional): for sprinkling on top.
13. Walnuts (crushed): to sprinkle on top

(* to my horror I saw that I didn't have enough Vegetable Oil with me. So I used melted butter instead. They say that while mixing the wet ingredients as mentioned in Step 3 below, one should take care while adding the hot butter to eggs. What I did was I added butter n' then added yogurt before adding the eggs n' I was safe.) This is what I had done for the blueberry recipe n' I did the same this time around too.

Method:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 180° C.

Step 2: In a large bowl sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Step 3: In another large bowl whisk together sugar, oil, vanilla essence, egg, and yogurt.

Step 4: Add the dry ingredients (I sifted it in little by little) and stirring to a count of 10.

Step 5:Add the mangoes and the chopped figs, to mixture and stir 3 times. (At this point I got a little worried, coz the batter looked really different from anything I have ever baked. But I decided to proceed as instructed.)

Step 6: Add mixture to well-buttered muffin pans or like I mentioned the Cupcake liners. Sprinkle some walnuts on top and press down lightly. Sprinkle a little sugar over top. (Brown sugar can be used instead.)

Step 7: Bake 20 to 25 minutes and allow to cool completely.

Curd Rice/ Mosarnna

2011-07-09T09:52:00.000+03:00

Curd Rice for me is like a healing food. Perfect to have when your tummy is troubling you. For the 2yrs that I was in Sales in Bangalore, I faithfully had this for lunch almost everyday. Not really cause I had tummy ache everyday :). But coz Adigas in Bangalore serves a really yummy curd rice with a mixed vegetable spicy pickle. I would say, like a Biryani gets served for weddings in Kerala (as if its a must), in Karnataka, Curd Rice is considered special and gets served for all occasions. Almost like a meal is incomplete if Curd Rice doesn't get served. This Curd rice recipe is a South Indian rice recipe. It is easy and quick and simple dish to make especially if the cooked rice is ready.Generally it is served at the end of the meal.

Curd rice is aka Dahi Chawal(Hindi) Thairu Sadam(Tamil) and Mosarnna(Kannada). I wish I could stay n' chat more. But I have a really busy weekend ahead of me and I should really be going. Wish you all a Happy Weekend. The recipe is as under.

Ingredients:

1. Cooked rice : 2 cups
2. Plain curd : 3/4 cup (not too sour) (also feel free to be generous n' add more curd)
3. Milk : 1/2 cup
4. Green chilies : 1 or 2
5. Ginger paste : 1/4 teaspoon.
6. Salt - to taste

For Seasoning:

1. Oil - 1 tbsp
2. Tur Dal - 1/2 tsp
3. Massor Dal - 1/2 tsp
4. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
5. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
6. Asafoetida - a pinch
7. Curry Leaves

Method:

Step 1: Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When they stop crackling add Dal (I used masoor n' tur, you can use any dal, i'm sure). Fry it, but ensure it does not get burned.

Step 2: Add asafoetida, chopped chilies and curry leaves. Fry for 5 seconds.

Step 3: Take off the pan from the stove and let it cool a little.

Step 4: Mix the cooked rice, curd, milk and salt.

Step 5: Add the seasoning into the rice mixture and mix well.

It is ready to serve. Serve it as a meal by itself or with lime pickle or mango pickle.The only thing to remember, really, is mix Curd Rice just before serving. Once the curd rice is mixed it should be eaten immediately or it can get sour, so if you are not planning to eat it immediately, put it in the fridge. Rice also becomes thick after some time. So a little milk may be added again at the time of serving. Adding Pomegranate Seeds, fried cashews, fresh grapes etc into the curd rice before serving it is a practice that I love. :) Happy Cooking!!

Grilled Carrots with Rosemary

2011-07-08T13:56:00.000+03:00

I like carrots, they are sweet but tastes great in a savory dish. They are crunchy, look so pretty n' is packed with healthy nutrients especially Vitamin A, K n' C. (I learnt all that from the Active Foods workshop I recently attended). So anyways, Rj doesn't like it when I cook carrots, (for that matter most veggies) so I clean them n' give them in his salad n' he enjoys that. So I bought some extra yesterday. But I forgot to give him any last night n today he has some office thing so didn't need lunch n' won't be back before late in the night.

So I was looking at an option to make a juice. But then I came across this recipe for grilled carrots n' I just fell in love. I have been hoarding posts for later. But with this one I just couldn't wait to publish it. I totally love this recipe n' the kitchen smelt so good after grilling them with rosemary. You just have to try this. Our awesome friend, Jeffrey, who was with us in Bahrain, had given me this grill pan (I had even used this in my Hara Bhara Paneer Tikka recipe too) and its just so useful. He wanted me to show off this pan here n' I thought this recipe is perfect for it. lol.... I love it n have used it to make this. The recipe is adapted from here. So here you go.

Ingredients:

1. Carrots: 3nos
2. Butter: 2-3 tspn (room temperature) (yeah I was a little generous, I used salted Amul Butter)
3. Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 2tsp
4. Balsamic Vinegar: 1 tbsp
5. Rosemary: 1 tsp (chopped) fresh
6. Salt: if required
7. Fresh Black Pepper: as per taste (optional)

Method:

Step 1: Heat grill pan to high flame.

Step 2: Whisk together butter, olive oil, vinegar, and rosemary.

Step 3: I left the whole carrots in the marinade for couple of mins and then arranged them on the grill and brushed them lightly with the marinade occasionally. (all this should be once you have changed the flame to low. (keep them in the warm area first before shifting them to the hot area on the grill.)

Step 4: Grill for approximately 20 minutes, turning occasionally to prevent extreme charring.
When carrots are softer, but still slightly firm, remove from heat.

Step 5: Add to a serving platter and drizzle with the remaining marinade. I had to add a little more salt n' some freshly ground black pepper to give it an extra kick (but that is totally optional). I even grilled 2 red chilies along with this in the last 5mins n' ate it along with this. Try it try it...its good...Happy Cooking!!!

Waffles n' Cherry

2011-07-07T15:30:00.002+03:00

A waffle is a batter or a dough-based cake cooked in a waffle iron patterned to give a distinctive and characteristic shape. Waffles can be eaten plain (especially the thinner kinds) or sprinkled with powdered sugar. Ice cream cones are also a type of waffles or wafers. It is said that, there are many variations based on the type and shape of the iron and the recipes used.

I have had my waffle iron for a while now n' hadn't tried anything with it. One morning I woke up all inspired n' decided to try it out. Rj was fast asleep just the way I wanted him to be. He doesn't enjoy waffles or pancakes n' I encouraged myself to have some 'me' time for breakfast...:)

I used the simplest recipe I could find, so here you go.

Ingredients:

1. All Purpose Flour: 2 cups
2. Baking powder: 3 tsp
3. Caster Sugar: 1 tbsp
4. Salt: 1/4tsp (less or more as per your taste)
5. Eggs: 3nos (separated)
6. Milk: 1 and a 1/2 cups
7. Butter (melted) : 5 tbsps
8. Vanilla Essence: 1tsp (optional)

Method:

Step 1: Mix and sift dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt and sugar).

Step 2: Combine beaten egg yolks, milk and the butter and add the same to the dry ingredients, beating until smooth.

Step 3: Beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold the same into the above mixture.

Step 4: Pour batter into each section of a hot waffle iron. Cook waffles until crispy and browned.

Serve it with your choice of fruits or honey or maple syrup or even ice cream. Happy Cooking!!!

Kerala Mango Pickle or Curry/ Kadumanga Achar

2011-07-04T16:18:00.001+03:00

This is my third post on Mangoes this month, I had gotten distracted with my baking mission n' couldn't complete the hattrick as planned. :) This pickle, even though it comes under the category of a pickle is often mistaken n' eaten as a Mango Curry. Kanji, the most popular comfort food of a Malayali, is most often accompanied by this pickle. I love it so much, this is one of the first things I wanted to make the moment I got a kitchen to myself. The only thing is, I love eating it even without anything with it. I can just eat this in a bowl n' be happy about it. I have consciously stopped doing this, but the inane desire is to do just that, the moment I see this pickle is still there.

I can eat pickle with anything n' everything, that's how much I love it. But other than this, I don't make any other pickle at home. The white lime pickle, the no oil red lime pickle, the black gooseberry pickle, the mango with mustard seeds pickle etc that we keep a stock of at home are all supplied by my mom. This pickle has less shelf life than the other pickles. The recipe? Here you go. :)

Ingredients:

1. Raw Mango: 2nos medium (chopped or rather cubed into really small pieces)
2. Chilly powder : 2 tbsp (or as per taste)
3. Turmeric powder : 1/2 tsp
4. Salt : As reqd
5. Gingelly oil : 5tbsp (best for pickles)
6. Fenugreek(Uluva) powder : 1 tsp
7. Asafoetida(Kaayam) powder : 1/2 tsp
8. Vinegar : 3tbsp ( or more depending on the taste)
9. Curry leaves : 1 bunch
10. Mustard seeds : 1 tsp
11. Dry Red Chili: 1-2nos

Method:

Step 1: Add salt to the mango piece n' keep it aside for atleast an hour or 2.

Step 2: In a kadai/wok, heat the oil. Add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, dry red chilies n' curry leave. Allow it to splutter.

Step 3: Remove the kadai from the stove and add the red chili powder, turmeric powder n' asafoetida powder. (You are doing it off the stove cause we need to take care not to burn the powders used.)

Step 4: Mix in the mangoes into the above mixture. Allow it to coat well. Add vinegar. Check the salt n' add more if required. Keep it aside overnight or at least for 4-5hrs to allow it to absorb the spices.

If you ask me, its best served with everything. ;) But traditionally, its served with Kanji or Rice n' Curry. Happy Cooking!!! :)

Mushroom Pepper Fry

2011-07-03T17:06:00.000+03:00

I love mushrooms in all forms. Some of the other mushroom recipes on my blog are, Black Eyed Peas with Mushrooms, Mushroom Ragout on Garlic Toast. There are very few things that Rj eats without any qualms, which aren't under the category of Non Veg food. Mushrooms happen to be one of them. So i'm always on the look out for an interesting way to cook them. This recipe is spicy n' really hits you with its flavours n' we love having it with a simple daal n' chapathi or rice. I have added cubed capsicum to balance the spice and its a winner. So here you go...

Ingredients :

1. Mushroom : 200 gms (each sliced into 4 pieces)
2. Onion : 1 no
3. Green chilies :2 nos. (slit)
4. Bell Peppers (Capsicum) : 1/2 cup (chopped)
5. Garlic: 1-2nos (crushed)
6. Curry Leaves: as much as you like (the more the better)
7. Pepper Powder - 3 tbsp (use freshly crushed for best results)
8. Oil - 2 tsp
9. Mustard seeds
10. Salt to taste

Method:

Step 1: Heat oil in a wok , add mustard seeds n' curry leaves to do a tadka.

Step 2: Add chopped onions n' garlic and saute till onion turns translucent.

Step 3: Add green chillies and mushrooms. Sprinkle salt on the mushrooms n' allow it to ooze out the water. On high flame allow the water to evaporate while stirring the mushrooms occasionally.

Step 4: Then reduce the flame to sim , add the pepper powder, stir it in n' allow it to cook well. Add the cubed/chopped bell peppers at this stage. (they cook quickly, n' hence I prefer to keep it crunchy i'm adding it at this stage. If you want them well cooked add them along with the mushrooms in step 3.)

Its best served with Daal, Rice or Chapathi. :)...Happy Cooking!

Blueberry and Banana Muffins

2011-07-03T05:47:00.006+03:00

Let me start today's post by giving a heartfelt thank you to all who have left me a comment on my previous post. I will try the recipes you have taken the trouble to recommend to me. :) Here is my first post from a small series of Baking goodies I want to do this month. I had never made muffins before. I have eaten them a few times. But seeing these blueberries in the stall pushed me to buy them. I have heard on countless occasions how these are filled with anti oxidants, that pushed me a little too. I bought only a 100gms (what with the being so expensive in Bangalore n all that), that left me with very few recipes I could actually try. The first classic things that came to my mind were these Blueberry Muffins n' a Blueberry Compote on pancakes. But Rj doesn't like Pancakes n' I would've had to finish the whole thing on my own...how can that be interesting? That left me to choose these Muffins.

I really didn't know muffins were this easy to bake. An ingredient lead me to choose the dish, but boy am I thrilled with the results or what? So this is the first baked dish I taught myself. :) I will shamelessly say, what helped me the most is the fact that I didn't make any changes to measurements of the base ingredients. (normally i'm always keen on that coz I don't want too many baked things on my table) I got 15 baked muffins with measurements and there are only 3 left. :( If nothing else at the end of my baking journal, I will be overweight at this pace. :) But even that daunting thought is not killing my spirits. :) So, here you go. The recipe is adapted from here.

Ingredients:

1. All Purpose Flour (Maida): 3 cups minus 2tbsp
2. Baking soda: 1tsp
3. Baking powder:2 tsps
4. Heavy pinch of salt
5. Caster sugar: 1 cup
6. Vegetable oil: 1/2 cup (or half a cup of melted butter) *
7. Egg: 1no
8. Yogurt (plain n unflavored) : 1 generous cup (throw in extra if you want)
9. Blueberries (fresh):1 cup
10. Banana (chopped): 1 cup
10. Vanilla Extract/Essence : 1tbsp
11. Softened Butter, for muffin tins (I used the cupcake liners so didn't need this)
12. Caster sugar (optional): for sprinkling on top.

* to my horror I saw that I didn't have enough Vegetable Oil with me. So I used melted butter instead. They say that while mixing the wet ingredients as mentioned in Step 3 below, one should take care while adding the hot butter to eggs. What I did was I added butter n' then added yogurt before adding the eggs n' I was safe.

Method:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 180° C.

Step 2: In a large bowl sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Step 3: In another large bowl whisk together sugar, oil, vanilla essence, egg, and yogurt.

Step 4: Add the dry ingredients (I sifted it in little by little) and stirring to a count of 10.

Step 5:Add blueberries and the chopped bananas, (reserving 1/2 cup of blueberries for later), to mixture and stir 3 times. (At this point I got a little worried, coz the batter looked really different from anything I have ever baked. But I decided to proceed as instructed.)

Step 6: Add mixture to well-buttered muffin pans or like I mentioned the Cupcake liners. Sprinkle remaining berries on top and press down lightly. Sprinkle a little sugar over top. (Brown sugar can be used instead.)

Step 7: Bake 20 to 25 minutes and allow to cool completely.

They came out so well, I looked at them and I could cry with Joy. I just couldn't stop smiling. Rj was at work n' I took some to my cousin Seena, who is passionate about baking. I just had to get her view on them. She liked them too n I was ecstatic. When Rj came home, he was balled over with the texture n' the fact that I used blueberries for the muffins. :) All in all I feel like a Happy Baker! Happy Baking!

My-Baking-Baby Steps- Please recommend a Baking Recipe

2011-07-01T15:46:00.014+03:00

Anyone who has added me as a friend on FB would know my Baking woes, I have updated it there often enough. I could always say, you win some you loose some n' just quit trying. But I just couldn't do that. I have almost never had a craving for sweets, cakes or cookies. But Rj is a die hard fan of anything sweet, he has the mother of all sweet tooth so to speak...lol..;)

So anyways, truth be told, i'm scared of baking. I have had so many of my baking efforts flop on me in the last 2months. Yet I see so many people doing it effortlessly n' successfully. If you have faced baking problems like me, you will know how irksome it really is. Do you guyz remember, Arundhuti from My Saffron Kitchen, gave me this book, Sanjeev Kapoor's Cakes and Bakes. It's a really nice book, but I still managed to goof up. If you have gone through my blog, you will know how big a Sanjeev Kapoor Recipes fan I'm. Along with Aru, I also, wanted to give a special thanks to Namitha from Collaborative Curry n' Maria from Maria's Menu too, who have listened to me patiently and answered my queries, whenever I have talked to them about baking. :) Ria from Ria's Collection was telling me yesterday, to go easy on myself and to relax and try again after a while to find my baking mojo back. But I was scared what if I loose track n' loose my steam. So she has recommended a few of her simple cakes recipes for me to try out. :) Thank you so much gal.

Madhuri from cookcurrynook, another established Baker like the others I have mentioned here, is a really good friend now. She takes bulk orders for baking, (how awesome is that, right?) knows so many digs in and around Bangalore where you can go pick up baking goodies n she is on first name basis with so many renowned chefs. ;) That's how cool she is. We attended this 'Active Foods' workshop in Taj Gateway Hotel, Bangalore organised by Food Lovers Magazine. It was an awesome experience and Chef Naren Thimmaiah shared with us a lot of tips and recipes on healthy cooking. I had a wonderful experience, all thanks to Madhuri (who told me about it in the first place) and Food Lovers Magazine. :)

Coming back to the topic of baking, Chef Naren served us a Molten Chocolate Souffle with a Florida Orange Reduction. It was divine, to say the least. Sitting there I said to myself, thats what I will try first. I promptly tried it. It flopped on me, literally. It rose well enough in the oven, but 5mins after taking it out from the oven, it shrank to half its original size and tasted bad. :(...Here is a picture, just so you can get an idea. I also tried a Red Velvet Cake recently, it turned out as hard as those Red Angry Birds from the game Angry Birds....:( I tried a sponge cake to make Jam Rolls n it rose n' rose while baking in the cake tin n' had this smell of eggs after baking...eeks.. It was horrible. Let's me not say anything more. But anyways you get the picture. Having said that I should also say, I have successfully baked, a simple chocolate cake, a Marble Cake, a Chocolate Carrot Cake, a Banana Bread n' a Chocolate Mud Cake before.

The contradictory part about this is the fact that the first time I baked, I was in my 8th Std in school. I used to make Butter cookies, learnt from a summer holiday workshop my mom sent me to. My grandmom, her sister n' one of my aunts are all really good at baking. I still remember how proud my ammachi was when the butter cookies I baked turned out well. I used to have fun distributing them too. :).But after that, I don't think I baked anything till we went to Bahrain. I have been told on countless occasions that practice is key in baking n' also follow the recipe to the last drop of the batter.

This post is dedicated to me and my Baking Efforts. I have decided I need to conquer this worry I have about Baking. This July, I'm planning to challenge myself and try to bake something or the other over the coming 2-3 weeks, lets say 4weeks. More like a baking class for myself, where the cook and the student is one n' the same. :) I realize this post is too long, so i'm highlighting this para for you. It would mean a lot to me, if you could recommend an easy but yummy baking recipe from your blog (sweet or savoury) to help me get better at baking. Looking forward to hearing what you have to say. :)

Pickled Mango Chutney/ Uppumanga Chammanthi

2011-07-01T03:34:00.006+03:00

I have socially busy day ahead of me and decided to do this post bright n' early! Ever since last Friday, I have been having busy days like these n' I love it. :)....To continue with my Mango Posts, I give you a chutney. I mean, I have had this so many times at home in Kerala with Kanji or just rice and a curry. You know how fashion gurus will tell you, a gorgeous scarf or chic handbag you are holding will make a simple outfit turn into a fashion statement! Well this chutney does that to my food. ;) (lol...yeah even I can see the funny side to that statement.) But really, I do mean it! This does turn a simple meal to a drool worthy finger n' plate licking experience. ;)

My mom tells me, I started making coconut chutneys on the regular arakallu when I was 6yrs old. (I'm sure she used to help ;) I used to put a stool next to the arakkalu n' gladly make the chutney. The only problem used to be that I would finish half of it as soon as I made it. ;) So then amma started giving me extra coconut for the "just for me" portions of the chutney. You know how small girls in kerala would play "Kanjiyum Curryum" during the holidays with friends n' cousins? In my case, we had a big parambu (backyard) and we would actually make the kanji on a small coal and stone stove and pair it with a chutney n eat it hot. Just the thought is mouthwatering for me. I bought a new pestle and mortar recently and decided to make this. Need I say, I loved the experience? So here is my version of the simple food fashion statement....;)

Ingredients:

1. Pickled Mango (Uppu Manga)- 1 or 2 (cut into small pieces)
2. Small Onions: 6-8nos
3. Green Chili (or pickled chili)- 3-4nos *

* (depending on how spicy you want it to be add more or less. But it tastes best when you make this chutney really spicy. I'm not adding any coconut to this chutney! )

Method

Just grind all the ingredients above into the chutney consistency that you want. I liked biting into these pieces, but some people like to have it in the form of nice paste. So I leave that up to you. You can also use this in the form of a dip for which you obviously need to grind this into a paste. :) Happy Cooking!!!

Mango Fool

2011-06-30T17:37:00.002+03:00

A try at 'Mango Fool'...that didn't fool me at all. ;)...I had to start with that sad joke. But really, the name Mango Fool has fascinated me since a while. Rj n me...we are both huge fans of Mangoes. Ok, he is a huge fan of ripe mangoes n' I on the other hand, love mangoes in any form. I look forward to summers in India, just for the abundant supply of Mangoes everywhere(i ain't exaggerating!).

I have 3 mango posts with me n' I told myself, for the love of Mangoes, I better stop being lazy and do the Mango blog posts soon. So here you go, Mango Fool is my first post.

Ingredients:

1. Mango puree (Fresh n Raw) : 1cup *
2. Yogurt - 2 cups (preferably thick or thickened)
3. Sugar : 3-4tbsp
4. Mint leaves - few
5. Lemon juice: 1tbsp
6. Salt: to taste

* I used some mangoes which were between the stages of raw n' ripe. I used really sour mangoes, so had to adjust the ingredients a little in the end. So please taste as you go n' make adjustments while making the drink depending on the mangoes you use.

Method:

Step 1: For the Mango Puree. Peel and slice the Mangoes. Boil them in a little warm water till soft. Pass through a sieve and allow it to cool. (while slicing the flesh off the stone, don’t go too close to the stone, as this part is very fibrous and won't be nice in this drink.)

Step 2: Beat the yogurt till smooth. Add sugar and salt to this. Crush some mint leaves n' add it to the yogurt.

Step 3: Add the lemon juice to the Mango puree and mix well.

Step 4: Mix the mango puree and yogurt to get a thick mixture. Chill it before serving. Garnish it with a few mint leaves and its ready.

Reduce the amount of sugar and add more salt, if you love sourness in drinks as much as I do. This is perfect for a hot day. :)

Prawns/ Shrimps In Coconut Milk

2011-06-28T06:43:00.000+03:00

You know how you find this truly amazing recipe, which gives you great results every time, wows the people you serve it to n' all that. That was what was happening with my tried n' tested Prawns Ularthiyathu recipe passed on from my mom. Every time we buy prawns, Rj wants me to make that. In March, when my father in law had come to stay with us, I had made it for him n' he loved it. He told everyone possible how good it was. I think, I will never be able to make that dish without fondly remembering how much he appreciated my efforts.

But I thought to myself, its high time I found another awesome recipe. I came across this continental recipe for Shrimps in Coconut Milk n' made a note that I should try it soon. Haven't had shrimps/prawns since more than 2months n' I was looking forward to this recipe. Meanwhile, I happened to come across Satrupa's Blog- Food For Thought....(yeah even I couldn't believe I'm seeing her blog only now...:( ). If you haven't visited her blog, please do so now!! Check out one of her recent post here. After taking a look at that, there was no way I could think of doing the continental less spicy version of Shrimps in Coconut Milk. ;) Here is a good link to read about the simple differences between Prawns n' Shrimps.

Another thing that attracted me to this recipe was how the measurements mentioned were perfect for two. This way, I didn't have to ransack my brain n' convert the measurements to suit us. Initially, I'd decided to stick to her recipe without changing a thing, but as I started cooking, I had to tweak it a little bit. I'm always surprised how 2 people following a recipe could come up with different tastes n' even look sometimes. I'm talking about dishes like that perfect chicken curry or biryani my mom makes, which just doesn't taste as good as her's does, when me n' my sister tries the same recipe...lol. Like I mentioned earlier, I have a lot of older posts to do, but this curry turned out to be a winner n' so did the snaps. So I just couldn't resist doing this post today. So here you go....

Ingredients:

1. Shrimps/ Prawns - 12nos (medium size)
2. Onion - 1/2 (medium size)
3. Garlic Cloves - 4nos
4. Ginger - 1/2 inch
5. Cinnamon Stick - 1 inch piece
6. Cumin - 1/2 tsp
7. Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
8. Chili Powder: 1/2 tsp
9. Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp
10. Tomato puree - 1-2 tsp (depending on how sour you like it)
11. Mustard Seeds
12. Fresh Green Chilies: 2-3 (per taste)*
13. Curry Leaves - few
14. Coconut Milk - 1 cup
15. Kodampuli/ Cambodge: 1-2 (soaked in water)
16. Salt per taste
17. Oil

Method:

Step 1: Grind Onion, Ginger,Garlic,Cumin seeds,Coriander powder,Chili powder, Turmeric powder, Green chilies and Cinnamon to make a smooth paste. (add a little water or oil to help grind it well)

Step 2: Marinate the Shrimps/ Prawns with little turmeric and salt and keep aside for 10 minutes.

Step 3: Avoid this step if you are using store bought tomato puree. I didn't have any with me, so I chopped half a medium sized tomato n' boiled it with a little water. Once that is done, mash the same to form a thick paste/puree.

Step 4: Heat oil in a wok and fry the Shrimps/ Prawns just for few minutes so that they turn opaque. Taking care not to over fry them or they would turn rubbery.

Step 5: In the same wok, add more oil if required. Allow it to heat and hot temper it with mustard seeds and curry leaves.

Step 6: Add the ground masala and salt and fry till the masala is cooked well and there is no raw smell. Add tomato paste/ puree into the above.

Step 7: Add the coconut milk and allow it to simmer. Add the kodumpuli with water into this.

Step 8: Add some water if needed to adjust the consistency. Add the fried shrimps/prawns and simmer for 2 minutes before turning off the heat.

Serve it with some hot rice and it tastes divine. The reason why I changed Satrupa's recipe a little was coz I just wasn't able to get the color right. I think it could be coz of the good quality tomato paste available there or something. But anyways the taste was spot on. :) Happy Cooking!!!

Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate Lace Crêpes

2011-06-26T10:08:00.002+03:00

I love crêpes, especially savory ones. I used to frequent the Crêpe Cafe in Bahrain. My favourite was their Florentine Crêpe, with a filling of spinach, feta, mushrooms, bechamel sauce and cheese. It was so so yummy. I miss not being able to dig in to something that good. Anyways, you know how infrequent my sweet posts are, so I decided to try n' make a sweet crêpe instead of a savory one. And NO surprise surprise, it turned out really well. ;)

I have tasted a lot of chocolates, both here n' while travelling abroad. But my sense of loyalty towards Cadbury's Dairy Milk has remained unwavered. :)....Infact a while ago, I even asked my friends on FB to tell me how to eat Cadbury's Silk the way they show it in the ads. :)...comments poured in with their gooey Silk experiences. If you haven't eaten Cadbury's Silk Chocolate the way they show in the ads, then you must do so asap! (to make it gooey, just pop the chocolate bar in the microwave for 5-10sec n' then have it) Really worth it...;)

I came across a chocolate lace crêpe recipe on Joumana's blog, Taste of Beirut a while ago. Fell in love, bookmarked it n' promptly kept it for later.:) A special thank you to Joumana for sharing such a lovely recipe...Rj recently gave me some Cadbury's Dairy Milk, I wanted to try something with it than eat it just as it is. I have often heard how one cannot use Dairy Milk for baking (no matter how much you love its taste) and that one needs to use cooking chocolate. But since this recipe involved no baking, I decided to use Dairy Milk. :) It tastes great. Other than this I have followed her recipe. So here you go....

Ingredients:

1. Dairy Milk Chocolate: 50gms (use any chocolate you like)
2. Eggs: 2nos (large)
3. All-purpose flour: 175 gms or 1 and 1/2 cup
4. Salt: as per taste
5. Powdered Sugar: 125 gms or 1/2 cup
6. Melted Butter: 3 tbsps or 45 gms
7. Milk: 250 ml or 2 cups
8. Vanilla Essence: 1 tsp
9. Cocoa Powder: 1/2 tbsp

Method:

Step 1: Beat the eggs in a bowl.

Step 2: Mix the flour, cocoa, salt and powdered sugar in another bowl. Transfer to the eggs and mix the two with a spoon.

Step 3: Melt the chocolate with the butter in the microwave and add to the batter

Step 4: Add the milk and vanilla gradually, stirring constantly until the batter is smooth and has no lumps. Set aside for thirty minutes.

Step 5: Heat the skillet and brush it with a little butter or oil so that it has a film of grease on the surface, no more. Pour the batter in the bottle or a decorating bag with a very small tip and pour the batter onto the skillet making circles, loops and other designs.

Step 6: When the crêpe appears cooked (two or three minutes should suffice on medium-high heat), slide it into a platter or on a piece of wax paper, to cool a bit.

Serve with some powdered sugar. I think this is a great dessert to be served with some ice cream or fresh fruits. The only thing is, I thought it tastes best when served hot n' slightly crispy. So serve it as you make it....(if that is possible). Happy Cooking!!!

Ragi Puttu Upma

2011-06-25T15:44:00.001+03:00

I wanted to do this blog post yesterday....but between catching up with friends n facebook n' gtalk n' all that...I didn't get the time to....:(...so I might as well do 2 posts today....

Most mallu families would've made Puttu Upma with leftover puttu as a tea time meal....my mom's taste divine coz she adds left over beef ularthiyathu into it as well n that takes the whole thing a notch higher in my books. I have made this upma without adding Beef and it still tastes nice. I wasn't a big fan of a beef less upma until my aunt, Sandhyachechi, came n' stayed with me. She made this upma with the leftover Puttu from breakfast n' I really loved it...Now I don't wait to have leftover puttu for this anymore. I make puttu just for this upma.

Talking of Upma did you read/hear about New York's celebrated chef, Mumbai-born Floyd Cardoz who made Upma for a contest in NY and won a big ticket prize of $ 100,000 (that roughly around Rs 45 lakhs). The theme? "prepare an item based on food memories. " Imagine that....the simple n' one of the most common south indian dish winning his such a big ticket! I shouldn't make it sound too simple, he did prepare a very exotic version of our common upma with wild mushrooms n' I think Chicken...(not sure about the chicken part). Anyway, apparently after all this hoopla in NY over exotic Upma, restaurants all over the capital here, have been getting orders for extoic upma (more than ever before) from tourists. I'm reading this article in the Hindustan Times, sitting on Rajdhani Express with the worst upma I have ever tasted for breakfast...:(...sad or what????

My upma here is 'oh so simple', but tastes really good. For an added health factor I have started including ragi in our food whenever the recipe permits it. For benefits of Ragi...please check out this page at itsnotmadrasi. You get Ragi Puttu podi/powder in all the stores now. Brands like Eastern, Double Horse, Nirapara etc. So do try them out if you haven't done so already. I'm mentioning a simple way to make puttu too...just for those who haven't had it. So here you go...

Ingredients:

For Puttu
1. Ragi Puttu Podi/Powder: 2 cups
2. Grated Coconut: ½ coconut (at least) more if you like it like me...:)
3. Salt: to taste
4. Water: enough to crumble the mixture. (don't add too much water or you will be left with a dough instead of a crumble.)

For Puttu Upma:
1. Ragi Puttu: 2cups (roughly)
2. Mustard seeds: ¾ tsp
3. Black gram: ¼ tsp (if you don't have this, use the regular tur dal n its still taste great)
4. Onion: ½ cup (chopped)
5. Green chillies: 2 (chopped) or less if you don't like it spicy
6. Ginger: 1 tsp (finely chopped)
7. Curry leaves: 1-2 sprigs
8. Salt (Optional) (as puttu already has salt)
9. Ghee/Clarified butter: 1 tsp

Method:

For the Puttu
I did not use a puttu maker for this, I used the steamer plate/thattu (Dhokla maker plates) in the idli maker instead, coz I was anyways planning to make the upma with the puttu instead of puttu itself. Since I don't do pictorial step by step, please check out this blog for a good way of making traditional Puttu. For the non traditional one, follow my steps here.

Step 1: Add salt n' water to the puttu powder to get the crumble required. Powder the mixture with your hands to form a coarse n soft crumble.

Step 2: Add scraped coconut to the above. I add a generous amount, coz i love the taste.

Step 3: Heat water in the idli maker, once the water boils, place the steamer plate above the water n' fill it with the above mixture. Steam it until cooked well. (roughly 5-10mins or less) The puttu is ready.

For the Upma

Step 1: In a kadai/ wok, add the ghee and do the tadka with mustard seeds, Dal n' add the curry leaves.

Step 2: Add the chopped ginger, fry it a little, add the chopped onion n' green chilies to this. Fry it well.

Step 3: Add the cooked puttu mix into this n' stir well. Adjust the salt if required. Sprinkle in a little water, if you think the puttu is not soft enough. And viola! its ready....

Serve it with some Kaddala Curry/ Chole or even a spicy meat curry (I served it with my Chicken Chettinad) and it needn't be something you serve only at tea time. Make it a meal. :) Happy Cooking!!!

Bread Pakodas/ Bread Pakoras and my first Skirt...;)

2011-06-23T14:27:00.004+03:00

Thank you so much for leaving me condolence messages on my previous post. I'm back in Bangalore now and decided to do a blog post today.

Having had loads of free time on my hands....I have been thinking a lot....what constitutes a good food blog? new recipes? a lot of recipes? good photographs? a lot of followers? giveaways? loads of comments on the blog posts? what does? My blog doesn't feature a lot of what I have mentioned above....but then I realised it doesn't matter.....as long as we find absolute pleasure in doing a blog post, we should keep doing it. At the end of the day blogging needn't be something to prove your worth, you should have something nice to say, definitely, but its so important to enjoy the experience. Armed with such great words of wisdom, I'm gonna start doing my blog posts again. :)

I'm not a big fan of bread in general. But come rain n' I can never refuse some good hot bread pakodas. The best part about them though, is the fact that they are so easy to make and most people are guaranteed to enjoy them. It so happened, a cousin of mine dropped in with her family one evening n' I, as always, had nothing to serve them n' these pakodas came to my rescue. So here you go...enjoy this simple snack...:)

Ingredients:

1. Brown Bread: 3 slices (cut them into whatever shape you like)
2. Eggs: 2-3nos
3. Salt: as per taste
4. Chili Flakes: as per taste
5. Cheese: grate it as required (I have used Britannia's Sour Cream n' Onion Cheese cubes)
6. Vegetable Oil: as required (I do shallow fry so use very little oil for this)

Method:

Step 1: Slice/cut the bread pieces into the shape that you want.

Step 2: Whisk the eggs and add salt to it.

Step 3: Heat the oil in a pan n' dip the bread pieces in the whisked eggs n' fry them.

Step 4: Once fried, serve them on a plate n' sprinkle it with some chili flakes n' grate some cheese on top n' its ready.

Being away from my laptop n' camera, I have been able to do a lot of things I had kept for later, like learning to stitch. My mom n' chechi stitch really well but I never sorta had an itch for stitching. But this time when amma came n' stayed with me, she bought me a sewing machine n' so I better start putting it to good use. I stitched 3dresses for my 2 n half yr old niece as she is starting play school soon. I don't have pics of those with me, chechi said she will send them to me soon, but attached is a pic of a skirt I stitched while in Bhopal. For a first time effort, I'm really proud of it. :)

I also found time to scout for some good recipes. I have been meaning to explore more, but haven't been able to manage the time to. Rj having been on his own for a while now, has been eating out every day, he can't cook a thing to survive. So all that 'healthy home made food is better' mantra, I kept telling him is down the drain. Now I really have to impress him with some healthy home cooking which tastes great. lol...Actually, I have a lot of posts to do of the dishes I had made before I went off, so I will quickly post those first.

Silent Musing

2011-06-10T11:42:00.001+03:00

Randomness at its best, I guess...I had a blog specifically for such ramblings but its been shot down since a while n' I can't help but do some amount of rambling here. I have been out of action so to speak coz of a family crisis. My father in law who was admitted in the hospital, all of a sudden, passed away on the 1st of June, life as I know it has changed completely since then.

None of us were even remotely prepared for an eventuality of this magnitude. Needless to say everyone feels shaken to the core. Rj could not handle the paramount depression that came with this event and be emotionally supportive to his mother n' kid sister. I'm in the middle trying to fill in some very large shoes. I have not been in Bangalore since my last post n' shuttling between, Bangalore, Bhopal n' Kottayam there is just no room for a food blog post from me.

I'm currently in Bhopal n' with my laptop n' camera left behind in Bangalore, i'm feeling really lost. I'm terribly missing my intimate interactions with food. Necessity cooking is so different from cooking new things for my blog. I never realised food n' blogging could mean so much to me. I know I will get to come back to blogging, but its gonna take some time. In the meantime I hope to read more blogs n' collect more recipes from all of you.

Chettinad Chicken

2011-05-28T06:14:00.001+03:00

I'm a big fan of chettinad cuisine, just the thought of the Beef Chettinad that I had in Goa, during our vacation in Decemeber, still makes my mouth water. But I haven't tried a lot of chettinad cuisine at home, other than this Egg Chettinad I had made long back. Rj had to go out of station on a family emergency n wanted to make something nice for him for dinner the day before he left.

In a situation like this, I find it easy to rely on cooking expert Sanjeev Kapoor's recipes. I have complete faith in his recipes, like I always say they will never let you down, even if you are trying it for the first time! That's how I decided on Sanjeev Kapoor's Chicken Chettinad recipe. I have followed his instructions to the last dot n' it was amazing. I have always favoured my Darbar Ki Karahi and Murgh Makhani recipe for chicken if I want to make chicken it for a special occasion, but I have to say, this recipe is gonna be a stiff competition to all my previous chicken recipes. So here you go...

Ingredients:

1. Chicken : 500gms/ half a kilo
2. Dry Red Chilies: 5 whole pods
3. Coconut: 1/2 (scraped)
4. Poppy seeds (khuskhus): 1 tsp
5. Coriander seeds: 1/2 tsp
6. Cumin seeds: 1/4 tsp
7. Green cardamom: 1no
8. Clove: 1no
9. Cinnamon: 1/2 an inch piece
10. Star anise: 1/2
11. Fennel seeds (saunf): 1/2 tsp
12. Ginger: 1 inch piece (roughly chopped)
13. Garlic: 5-6cloves
14. Oil: 1/4 cup (the original recipe used olive oil, but I used regular sunflower oil)
15. Onion : 1no (medium) chopped
16. Curry leaves: 10-12
17. Tomato: 2 small or 1 large (chopped)
18. Red chili powder: 1/2 tsp
19. Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
20. Lemon juice: as per taste
21. Coriander leaves: 1tsp (chopped)
22. Salt: as per taste

Method:

Step 1: Roast dry red chillies, coconut, poppy seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, green cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, fennel seeds in 1 tbsp of oil

Step 2: Grind the above into a paste along with ginger and garlic. (my mallu instinct worked overtime n' i tried using my new stone pestle n' mortar unsuccessfully to do this, so I had to do a little twist later, which I will mention)

Step 3: Heat the remaining oil in a kadai/wok and fry onion till golden. Add curry leaves and the ground paste and sauté for some time.

Step 4: Add tomatoes, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt to taste. (at this stage I could see that my paste needs to be a little more ground n ground the same in a mixer grinder to a fine paste. That is the reason why you can't see any tomato pieces or curry leaves in my pictures) Once I ground the same into a thick paste, I sauteed them for a min more in the same kadai without adding more oil.

Step 5: Add chicken and mix. Cook for five minutes and then add two cups of water, lemon juice, cover and cook till the chicken is done.

Step 6: Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.

It is best served with hot rice or chapathi or even paratha. But I served it with puttu, coz after taking time out to decide on what to make n' the whole process above I had time only for something simple like puttu. :) Happy Cooking!!!

Vendakkai Curry/ Okra in Coconut Milk Gravy

2011-05-27T13:04:00.000+03:00

Today I was looking for a snap I had clicked of my niece a while back n' I found 3 dishes that I had not posted up here yet :). (This is dish no. 3 ). All these snaps were taken a little after we moved to Bangalore. I'm guessing, I just didn't have the time to post them up then. I'm gonna post all three today, just coz I already have too many dishes I had made this week which i'm yet to post. These recipes are good, but the snaps lack imagination, so don't let that fool you.

This dish was made at home in Kottayam, during one of my visits. I didn't make it, I just helped :). I suggested to amma saying that let me make this a guest post by her. She just point blank refused, saying if she were to do a guest post, might as well do something a little more complicated. lol. So the next time I go home, I'm gonna click some snaps of her complicated dishes...:)..This curry is really simple, easy to make n' very light. Amma actually takes the first extract n' the second extract from the coconut where ever she needs to use coconut milk. I guess store bought coconut milk, might not give this light texture. So here you go...

Ingredients:

1. Okra/ Vendekkai: 10nos (each cut into 3 pieces)
2. Onion: 1no small (sliced)
3. Green Chili: 1nos (sliced)
4. Ginger Garlic Paste: 1tsp
5. Chili Powder: 1/2 tsp
6. Turmeric Powder: 1/4tsp
7. Coriander Powder: 1 tsp
8. Coconut Milk: from half a coconut (first n' second extract)*
9. Salt: as per taste
10. Curry Leaves: 1sprig
11. Oil: 1tsp
12. Water- 1/4 cup
13. Vinegar- 1/2tsp
14. Black Pepper: enough to sprinkle on top

* if using store bought coconut milk, then 3/4 to a cup should do.

Method:

Step 1: Stir fry the okra pieces in a little oil for 3-4mins. Set it aside.

Step 2: Add a little more oil into the same kadai, add mustard seeds n' curry leaves n' allow it to splutter.

Step 3: Add the chopped onion, green chili n' ginger garlic paste to the above. Allow it to cook till the onions turn pink.

Step 4: Add the powders, turmeric, red chili n' coriander powder to the above. Add salt. Mix it well for the masala to cook properly.

Step 5: Add the pan fried okra into the above, stir it well with the masala.

Step 6: Pour some water n' cook it covered for 2-3mins (depending on how crunchy you want it to be)

Step 7: Add the second extract of the coconut milk first n' add the vinegar at this stage. (if you don't want to use vinegar, you can use a little lime juice or one chopped tomato.) Add the first extract of coconut milk to this. If you are using store bought coconut milk, do this in one step.

Step 8: Sprinkle some black pepper powder or garam masala on top n' its ready to serve.

This is best served with some hot rice. :) Happy Cooking!!!

Sprouts Masala (Dry)

2011-05-27T12:10:00.001+03:00

Today I was looking for a snap I had clicked of my niece a while back n' I found 3 dishes that I had not posted up here yet :). (This is dish no. 2 ). All these snaps were taken a little after we moved to Bangalore. I'm guessing, I just didn't have the time to post them up then. I'm gonna post all three today, just coz I already have too many dishes I had made this week which i'm yet to post. These recipes are good, but the snaps lack imagination, so don't let that fool you.

I love having sprouts, you must have figured that out from the salad recipes, like Chicken Aioli Salad n' my Spinach Salad with Alfalfa Sprouts n' Feta Cheese here. We normally eat it fresh in a salad n' since that taste great, I never thought of trying anything else. But my mom in law makes this really nice dry masala with this n' Rj is a big fan. Besides, who wouldn't like making a dish that their mom in law makes to perfection? lol. Ever since I made this the first time, we have had this as a side dish for chapathi almost every other week. Try it, its really nice... So here you go.

Ingredients:

1. Sprouts: 2 cup (I use Moong sprouts)
2. Onion - 1no (chopped)
3. Garlic: 3-4nos (crushed)
4. Tomato: 1no (small) chopped
5. Salt: as per taste
6. Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
7.Chili Powder - 1 tsp or 1/2tsp (as per taste)
8.Turmeric powder - 1/4tsp or a little more
9.Garam Masala - a pinch or 2
10.Oil

Method:

Step 1: Heat oil in a kadai/wok. Add the cumin seeds n' let is splutter.

Step 2: Add the chopped onion n' crushed garlic to this. Fry it till the onions become translucent.

Step 3: Add the turmeric powder n' chili powder to the above. Stir it, allowing the masala to cook.

Step 4: Add the chopped tomatoes to this. Let it mix well in the masala. Add salt.

Step 5: Add the sprouts to this n' mix it well with the masala. Sprinkle some water on top n' cover it to cook it for 8-10mins. If it too dry stir it once in a while so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

Step 6: Stir the above, adjust the salt, sprinkle some garam masala on top. Mix it well n' its ready to serve.

If you would like to give this dish a little pungent taste, sprinkle some lemon juice over it before serving. Happy Cooking!!!

Drumstick Stir Fry/ Murungakai Ularthiyathu

2011-05-27T10:30:00.003+03:00

Today I was looking for a snap I had clicked of my niece a while back n' I found 3 dishes that I had not posted up here yet :). (This is dish No.1 for today). All these snaps were taken a little after we moved to Bangalore. I'm guessing, I just didn't have the time to post them up then. I'm gonna post all three today, just coz I already have too many dishes I had made this week which i'm yet to post. These recipes are good, but the snaps lack imagination, so don't let that fool you.

I love drumsticks, growing up we had 2-3trees at home n' I used to never like them. Especially coz amma used to make so many things with drumsticks n' its leaves. :(...But ever since I start cooking, a Sambar for me is just incomplete without drumsticks in them. My best friend, Sandhra got married recently n' her mom in law (a great cook again) lives with them. Just as well, as Sandhra doesn't enjoy cooking at all these days...:) But I think its just a phase,(havevn't we had a time like this?) she will find her groove again soon. So anyways, her mom in law made this for her one day n' she was raving about it to me. So I just had to try it n' it turned out really well. Only thing is eating this is a very hands on job. :) So here you go.

Ingredients:

1. Drumsticks: 2nos (cut like in the snaps)
2. Water: 1/2cup
3. Salt: as per taste
4. Green Chili: 1no (chopped)
5. Onion: 1/2 an onion (chopped)
6. Oil: 2-3tsp
7. Mustard: 1/2 tsp
8. Curry Leaves: 1 sprig

Method:

Step 1: Boil the drumstick piece in water mixed with salt. Once the drumsticks are cooked, let the water evaporate. (add a little more an 1/2 a cup of water if required to cook them well).

Step 2: In a kadai/wok, heat oil, splutter the mustard seeds n' curry leaves.

Step 3: Add the chopped Onion n' Green Chili. Let it brown.

Step 4: Add the cooked drumsticks to this n' stir fry it well.

This is ready to serve with some Mooru n' Hot rice. :) Happy Cooking!!!

Paneer Bhurji/ Scrambled Cottage Cheese

2011-05-26T11:54:00.003+03:00

My amma came n' stayed with me for a week n' my relationship with milk completely changed. :)...does that sound weird? But really, I couldn't make you understand what i'm talking about any other way. Now, I make curd, fresh cream, butter n' ghee at home. Well not all in one day...but you get the picture. I never knew it could be this easy. Cooking for 2, the only thing out of this which has a lot of demand on a daily basis is curd n' love how well the curd sets. I could give all the curd companies out there a run for their money...lol.

I'm digressing, what I wanted to say was, previous to amma's visit the only milk product I used to make at home is Paneer. But the major problem with it was I could never cut perfect cubes/squares etc out of my home made paneer. Coz they won't hold a shape like that. I would hang it in a muslin cloth n' end result is always a large ball liked shape that would love to crumble. So I had stopped making paneer at home for my dishes like Punjabi Paneer Makhani, Hara Bhara Paneer n' Paneer Tikka Masala. But my homemade paneer especailly coz it loves to crumble is best for Paneer Bhurji. On a day when you are not in the mood for elaborate cooking, this is just perfect with Chapathis. By the way I follow the Vahrehvah Chef Sanjay Thumma's instructions to make paneer at home.

This dish is by far the only thing I make without a written recipe. I searched online n didn't find any recipe I liked n' thought to myself, how difficult can making something like this without a recipe be. So here you go, my version of a Paneer Bhurji. :)

Ingredients:

1. Paneer: 200gms (soft paneer) crumbled.
2. Onion: 1no (small) chopped
3. Garlic: 4-5nos (chopped)
4. Tomato: 1no (deseeded) chopped
5. Greenchili- 2nos
6. Capsicum/ Bell Pepper- 1no (deseeded n' cubed)*
7. Egg: 1no (optional)
8. Turmeric Powder: a pinch
9. Chili Powder: 1/2tsp
10. Garam Masala: a pinch or 2
11. Oil
12. Mustard seeds- 1/2tsp
13. Curry Leaves
14. Salt: as per taste

* I have used yellow, red n' green capsicums just to get that burst of color, you can just use any one color n' it would still taste nice.

Method:

Step 1. Heat a oil in pan, add mustard seeds n' curry leaves. Let it splutter.

Step 2. Add chopped onions, garlic n' green chili and leave it to cook. (2-3mins on medium flame)

Step 3. Add turmeric powder, chili powder n salt, mix it well. Allow it to cook well.

Step 4. Add the chopped tomatoes to this.

Step 5. If you are adding eggs, scramble it in another pan n' add scrambled eggs to the above mixture. (I like the texture better this way, but up to you if you want to add the beaten egg directly to the above mixture, you can.)

Step 6. Add the chopped paneer to the above n' mix it well. Leave it to cook for a while. (Ensuring that the paneer does not harden).

Step 7. Add the cubed/chopped capsicum to the above. Mix it well n' allow it to cook for another 3-4mins.

Step 8: Check for salt n' add more if you need it. Sprinkle some garam masala on top n' its ready...:)

Happy Cooking!!!

Shahi Falooda or The Royal Falooda

2011-05-25T04:13:00.000+03:00

Falooda is said to be an adaptation of the Persian dessert 'Faloodeh' and was brought to the Indian subcontinent during the Mughal period. It is a very popular cold dessert or beverage in India now. My mom used to make this for us every summer. Open the refrigerator and there will be this tall glass jar filled with pink milk n' I used to fall in love with it. I could never get enough of it. The best part of it was just not the color but the sabza seeds (basil seeds), I mean I had never seen anything like it before. When dry its all black n' dry n' the moment you pour some water over it, it just transforms. Not many children or adults even had heard about sabza seeds back when me n my sister were in school n' it became a popular drink with our friends n' cousins who would visit home.

This time when my nieces came over for vacation, I kept some ready for them along with the Mango Ice Lollies n' needless to say they loved it. Rj didn't get more than a sip or two n' its one of his favourite summer drinks too. So once my chechi (sister) n' the kids left, I had to make it again just for amma n' Rj. That's when I asked amma for the first time, how she used to add the sabza seeds back then. My mom is a home science major n' have always liked cooking. She says the popular Indian magazine, FEMINA was a galore of awesome recipes n' tips in the 70's n 80's. I think, maybe even the early 90's, but now, sadly, its mostly pages n' pages of articles on make up n' gossip....(which I have no use of). So for the first time, my mom had Falooda at a northindian restaurant in Kottayam Main Bus Stand (her older brother (my uncle Thuppan) had taken her there before heading home from college one day). This was when she was 15-16yrs old, and the drink had Sabza seeds in it.

Years later, after she got married, she found this recipe for Falooda in a Femina. She found the sabza seeds in a traditional ayurvedic herb shop in Kottayam Chandha/Market. That's how this was a popular drink at a small Keralite, South Indian household in the 80's. (the recipe itself is going to occupy only half the space my ranting has taken up...lol) So here you go...

Ingredients:

1. Milk: 1 Ltr
2. Sugar: 1 cup
3. Cornflour- 2tsp
4. Rose Essence- 1tsp
5. Red Color- 1pinch or a little more (feel free to decide how dark or light you want it)
6. Sabza/ Basil Seeds: adequate
7. Vermicelli: 4tsp (optional)
8. Long grain Rice (pan fried n' coarsely ground): 2tsp (optional)
9. Jelly: 4tsp (chopped) (optional)
10. Ice cream of your choice: 3-4scoops

Method:

Step 1: Cook the vermicelli in boiling water. Strain and keep aside to cool. Then chill in refrigerator till needed.

Step 2: Add water to Sabza Seeds n' keep it aside. They will soon start to swell and look transparent with a small dot-like, black center. Strain and keep it aside in a small bowl.

Step 3: Keep aside 1/4cup of milk. Add sugar to the rest of the milk and boil it. Add the milk kept aside to cornflour and mix it well to dissolve it completely. Once the milk and the sugar mixture boils, add the cornflour mixture to it along with the fried ground rice. Stir the milk to thicken the milk. Keep it aside to cool completely.

Step 4: Add the rose essence and color to the milk. Chill in refrigerator till needed.

Step 5: To assemble the Falooda, in each glass, put a tsp of jelly, vermicelli, pre-soaked Sabza seeds. Now the falooda over them. Add a scoop of ice cream to this.

Garnish it with some slivered almonds and pistachios, if desired (i didn't do so). Add a straw and long-handled spoon and serve! Happy Cooking!!!

Kottayam Banana Ghee Roast...;) vs. French Caramalised Bananas

2011-05-24T04:38:00.000+03:00

This was my appa's (father's) favourite evening snack. I remember amma making this n' keeping his share aside as soon as she makes it coz otherwise I would have finished it in no time. So I guess I liked this as much as appa did. I miss my father terribly, so many decisions would've have been taken out of my hands, making life so much simpler. He loved taking over. :) He was intelligent, complex, shrewd n' vulnerable if that is possible. Irrespective of having been a terrible teenager n a rebel, every single day I hope he knew/knows how much I loved him.

Coming back to this recipe, Rj doesn't enjoy this at all n' I'm secretly pleased with that, coz I still love it just as much n' don't mind not sharing it with anyone. I'm not sure this can be called Banana Ghee Roast, coz you just doing a quick shallow fry than roast, but the name sounded so suggestive I couldn't resist using it. :) I must say I haven't made evening snacks since ages, that custom is just not followed in my home. I guess mainly coz when I was working, we both came back home only after 7.30-8.00pm almost everyday. So anyway, I saw the French Chef, Manu Fiedel, making Caramalised Banana Fry on TV n' just couldn't resist making the Kerala/Kottayam version of it. I will mention his version in a little more detail below. :) So here you go.

Ingredients:
1. Banana- 1no (preferably overripe ones)
2. Ghee- 1-2tsp (or more depending on how much juice you want in the end)

3. Sugar- for sprinkling

Method:

Step 1: Cut the whole banana into 2 or 3 depending on how long you want the slices to be. Slice each piece vertically (as seen in the snaps).

Step 2: Heat ghee in a frying pan, arrange the slices of banana without overcrowding it and shallow fry them.

Step 3: Arrange them in a plate n' sprinkle it with some sugar. And its ready. Serve it with some ice cream if you like to create a Dessert version of the snack.

The last time I went home, Amma made these for me using home grown bananas n' I swear the bananas were so sweet, I didn't have to add any sugar. Now for Chef Manu Fiedel's Version.

He used Butter instead of Ghee, used a lot more than my version. He added brown sugar into the hot butter first and then added the bananas whole instead of slicing it. To make the whole thing look a lot more exciting, he even flambé-d them in the pan ;) and served it hot with some vanilla ice cream. I must say it looked divine. But my craving for the home version, made me try that instead. Happy Cooking!!

I would like to thank Asha from A Tasty Challenge for the award she passed on to me.
Her blog not only has some really yummy recipes, but she had actually taken on a challenge to finish 262 recipes in 365days n' completed the same this May. I'm in awe, kudos to you Asha.

Chicken Sammies

2011-05-18T10:33:00.000+03:00

I'm feeling all down just coz my bestie, Nidz is unwell n' is not on FB today...:(....I would love to type more here just to keep myself occupied but don't want to bore you :)....So coming to this post, I love having sandwiches for breakfast especially on weekends, they are simple, easy n' you can add just about anything you fancy as an ingredient and it never fails...My amma specialises in sandwiches n soups I think (she makes them in a jiffy). She insisted I keep a few pieces of the chicken aside last week before making a curry and guess what? I was able to use that for these sammies. ;)I love referring to sandwiches as 'Sammies'. I made just enough for 3ppl, so please increase the quantity as per your requirement. Here you go...

Ingredients:

1. Bread: 10slices
2. Chicken: 4-5 boneless pieces (medium sized- make them smaller to cook faster)
3. Onion: 1no (medium) finely chopped
4. Green Chili: 1 no (finely chopped)
5. Ginger: a really small piece (chopped or coarsely crushed)
7. Carrot: 1no (grated)
8. Coriander/ Cilantro Leaves: 1tsp (chopped)
9. Salt
10. Pepper
11. Oil
12. Butter: for spreading
13. Egg: 1no
14. Cheese: (optional)

Method:

Step 1: Cook the boneless chicken (small) pieces with a little salt n very little water. Keep checking to see if the water has evaporated. (Add little more water if n when you see that the water has evaporated before the chicken pieces are cooked through). Once done, keep it aside to cool.

Step 2: In a pan heat oil, add the chopped onion, green chili n' ginger and allow it to cook well.

Step 3: Add the grated carrots to the above n' keep it covered and cook it for 3-4mins.

Step 4: Scramble the egg in a separate pan and add the scrambled eggs to the above.

Step 5: Shred the chicken pieces and add it to the above along with chopped cilantro.

Step 6: Keep it covered n' cook for another 2mins, stir well n' adjust the salt. Add freshly ground pepper according to your preference of spice. (you can add a little garam masala instead of pepper at this point if you want, though I didn't do so)

Step 7: Spread some butter on one slice of the bread, add the filling, top it with some shredded cheese (if you are using any) cover it with another slice n' grill it in a sandwich maker.

I think this filling tastes better with grilled than plain bread. I know the snaps aren't looking as 'bite into me' as I wanted them to, but trust me it tastes great. I'm sending this also to the event Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays hosted by Deb from Kahakai Kitchen. Happy Cooking!

Pani Puri- Nirvana at Home

2011-05-17T05:42:00.001+03:00

I had gone missing from blogsphere for a week simply coz I had a home full of loved ones n' was happy being busy. My mom n' my sister n' family were here with me for a vacation n' I had a great time with them....the best part about moving back to India is the amount of time I get to spend with my family. Coming back to this post. I can easily call Pani Puri my all time favourite snack....when I say all time, I really mean it....I can have it all the time/ anytime of the day n' relish it. For those who have never had it, Pani Puri is a popular street snack in India. It comprises a round, hollow puri, fried crisp and filled with a mixture of water, tamarind, chili, chaat masala, potato, onion and chickpeas. It is small enough to fit completely in one's mouth. The first time I had them was when I moved to Bangalore for my studies 10yrs back. I couldn't hold the whole puri in my mouth the first time around n' I remember thinking to myself 'how did I live to be 20 without ever tasting this?' I hunt for the best Pani Puri joint everywhere I go. In Bahrain, I had a Biharikaka who made such divine pani puri....n' he wud give me 2 extra sukka puri just to see how happy it made me, I think. ;)

I could have pani puri off the street vendor n' not think too much about it, but gone are those days....i'm more concerned about hygiene of the food n' the environment now. I don't eat pani puri or anything which uses water or fresh fruits n' veggies from a street vendor anymore. My youngest cousin,Indhu, who I love more than I can say, recently got typhoid n' was in really bad state. She was admitted in the hospital for 2weeks n' she has a small baby gal aged just over 1yr...everyone was so so worried about her. But now she is feeling better, the once healthy gal has become less than half her size, with really bad intestinal problems. I'm mentioning this in detail just so I can give out a word of caution to all who likes to eat from the streets. She caught it eating chat n' drinking some masala drink from one of the street vendors in Delhi. I also have to mention that her sis in law who ate/drank from the same place is ok. But really, the moral of the story is just that one needs to be cautious of where and what you are eating.

Koshy's Calcutta Chat on Brigade Road dishes out the best chat in town for me, including a good pani puri. But that being a little far off n' me not frequenting Brigade Road anymore meant I have to find a new source...My mom n' my sister loves pani puri too, so I decided to make it for them. My mom found it hilarious that she has to wait for me to finish taking some snaps before they could dig in....lol..;). I used ready to use small puris n' pani puri masala for the water. So here you go.

Ingredients:

1.Puri: 20nos

For the Filling:

2.Potato – 3 nos (medium-sized, boiled with salt, peeled and mashed)
3.Garlic – 2 to 3 pods (finely chopped)
4.Ginger – 1/2″ long piece (crushed/minced)
5.Coriander/Cilantro – 2tbsp (finely chopped)
6.Green Chili (optional) – 1 no (finely chopped)
7.Chili powder – 1 tsp
8.Garam Masala – 1 tsp
9.Cumin Powder – 1 tsp
10.Coriander Powder – 1/4 tsp
11.Amchur Powder/ Dry Mango Powder (optional) – 1/2 tsp
12.Salt – to taste
(add some fresh moong sprouts to get some extra flavour, I didn't have any with me so I didn't add it this time.)

For the Water:*

13. Everest Pani Puri Masala: 2tbsp
14. Lemon Juice: of half a lemon (medium size)
15. Mint Leaves: a palm full (crushed)
16. Salt: as per taste (keeping in mind that the masala already has some salt in it)
17. Green Chilli Paste: 2tsp
18. Tamarind Pulp: 2tsp
19. Dry Mango Powder: a pinch or 2
20. Water: as required (i used roughly 2cups)
21. Boondi
22. Chopped Onion

*all the ingredients mentioned under pani puri water, can be adjusted according to taste. I have mentioned how much I have used, but change it according to your taste.

Method:

Step 1: Mix all the ingredients required for the Pani Puri water n' keep it aside. If you like the water chilled, keep this mixture in the refrigerator at this point. (I don't like mine chilled so I didn't do this). Do not mix the boondi n' chopped onions at this point. You can add that on top while serving.

Step 2: Mash the boiled potatoes n' mix all the ingredients. Keep it aside.

You are actually ready to serve. Even though the list of ingredients seems long, it requires hardly any prep time. Also, if you want to serve it to guests, you can do all the preparation in advance n' make the holes in the puri n' stuff the filling in, dip it in the pani puri water n' there you have it....;) mouthful, eyeful n' wonderful....lol

Dal Makhani

2011-05-03T12:33:00.000+03:00

I wasn't particularly fond of Dal Makhani (have on many occasions tasted bad ones) until we went to Mast Kalandar-a North Indian vegetarian food chain popular here in Bangalore. Rj orders for the meal option Phindi Chole almost every time we go there. Along with Chole n' Roti comes this really tiny bowl of Dal Makhani n' I love the texture n' the taste. Its just so so creamy. So I decided if they could make it taste this good, I could at least try making it at home.... :)

I had two choices for recipes to follow, one was from the book Learn to Cook by Nita Mehta and the other option was to follow Sanjeev Kapoor's recipe. As I was about to start cooking, Sanjeev Kapoor's recipe won by a thin margin coz Nita Mehta's recipe called for 'jaiphal powder' as one of the ingredients and I had no clue what that was. Only after I finished cooking did I get a chance to google that....n' found that she just meant Nutmeg Powder...lol

Although my intention is not to specialize on Sanjeev Kapoor recipes, I might just end up doing that at this rate. So here you go...:)

Ingredients:

1. Whole Black Gram or Urad Dal: 1/2 cup
2. Red Kidney Beans or Rajma: 2 tbsp
3. Salt to taste
4. Red chili powder: 1 tsp
5. Ginger: 2 inch piece (chopped)
6. Butter: 3 tbsp
7. Oil: 1 tbsp
8. Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
9. Garlic: 6 cloves (chopped)
10.Onion : 1 large (chopped)
11.Green chillies: 2 (slit into 2)
12.Tomatoes: 2 medium (chopped)
13.Garam masala powder: 1 tsp
14.Water: as required for cooking

Method:

Step 1: Wash and soak sabut urad and rajma overnight in three cups of water. Drain.

Step 2: Pressure cook sabut urad and rajma in three cups of water with salt and half the red chili powder (you can add half the ginger too if you wish) for three whistles. Open the lid and see if the rajma is totally soft. If not cook on low heat till the rajma becomes totally soft.

Step 3: Heat butter and oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds.When they begin to change colour, add ginger, garlic and onion and sauté till golden.

Step 4: Add slit green chillies, tomatoes and sauté on high heat. Add the remaining red chili powder and sauté till the tomatoes are reduced to a pulp.

Step 5: Add the cooked dal and rajma along with the cooking liquid. Add some water if the mixture is too thick.

Step 6: Add garam masala powder and adjust the salt. Simmer on low heat till the dals are totally soft and well blended. Serve hot.

Best served with rice and roti. I think this recipe is little less richer than the ones which asks for cream as an ingredient and I would call this a really easy recipe. Another surprising thing about this recipe and the Rajma Recipe is that it tastes even better when served the next day. :) Happy cooking!

Royal Bread & Butter Pudding- Princess Di's Favorite Pudding

2011-05-02T13:33:00.000+03:00

Princess Diana had a fondness for the Bread and Butter Pudding that was made by her personal Chef Darren McGrady. He shares this recipe in his cookbook "Eating Royally". If someone were to ask me to think of the most good looking woman ever, I will say 'Princess Diana' without a blink of an eye. I found everything about her charismatic, there was something just so genuine about her.

So anyways, coming back to this recipe, I had never ever made a bread pudding. (I wonder if I'm the only one out here who has never made one...)We have shifted to Oat meals for breakfast instead of bread...so when ever I buy bread now, I end up with left over. I decided to try this recipe just for luck n it clicked. Whats more...I have followed Princess Diana's favourite pudding recipe....;) What with all the hoo ha of the Royal Wedding that got over this weekend, I decided to do a blog post with a Royal Recipe! :) So here you go.

Ingredients:

1. White Bread: 12 slices (crusts removed)
2. Unsalted butter :1 1/2 sticks (melted) *
3. Egg Yolks : 9nos
4. Vanilla Essence: 2 tsp
5. Sugar: 3/4 cup
6. Milk: 1/2 cup
7. Heavy cream: 2 cups
8. Sugar: 2 tbsp (granulated-to dust on top of pudding)
9. Caster Sugar: 2 tbsp
***********************
10.Sliced almonds, lightly toasted : 3 ounces
11.Raisins: 3 ounces
12.Amaretto: 1/4 cup (liqueur)

* I used only 4 slices of bread and reduced my portion accordingly. But the recipe here is directly as it was published. For me 100gms of melted butter was sufficient. In India we don't get sticks of butter, so wasn't really sure how much was required. Also, I didn't add almonds, raisins n' Amaretto coz Rj doesn't enjoy biting into them in his desserts n' cakes. But I believe they would definitely enhance the taste.

Method:

Step 1: If you are using Raisins, soak the raisins in the Amaretto, and leave covered with plastic wrap at room temperature 6 to 8 hours or overnight. If you don't want to add liqueur in your recipe soaking them in Water should be fine.

Step 2: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut 4 slices of the bread into 1/2-inch dice, and spread the diced bread on the bottom of a casserole dish. Sprinkle the raisins on top of the bread cubes, and pour any remaining liquid over the bread.

Step 3: Cut the remaining 8 slices of bread in half diagonally, and then cut each half slice in half diagonally to create 4 even triangles per slice. Dip the triangles into the butter, and arrange on the top of the raisins, overlapping the triangles slightly. Pour any remaining butter over the top of the bread.

Step 4: Whisk the yolks, vanilla essence, and sugar in a large bowl until combined.

Step 5: Bring the milk and cream to a boil in a heavy saucepan over high heat, and pour the hot mix onto the egg yolks, whisking constantly.

Step 6: Pour the warm egg mixture over the bread, making sure all of the bread is coated, and set aside the coated bread for 20 minutes to allow the egg mixture to soak into the bread.

Step 7: Place the casserole dish in a roasting tray filled with hot water halfway up the sides of the casserole dish, and bake in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown on top with the filling just set.

Step 8: Remove the dish from the oven and roasting tray, and sprinkle with the extra sugar. Sprinkle with the toasted sliced almonds, and dust with powdered sugar. Cool slightly, and serve warm with a jug of cream and some fresh berries.

Bad snaps are owing to the baking done in the night. :(...but the dish is rich n' nice. The chef says the final texture is a cross between a bread pudding and a crème brûlée. Happy Cooking!

Sanjeev Kapoor's- Hara Bhara Paneer Tikka

2011-04-28T17:22:00.002+03:00

I have immense faith in Sanjeev Kapoor's recipes. He is referred to as "The most celebrated face of Indian cuisine" for a reason right? :). None of the recipes I have tried of his has ever failed me. My only problem is with his TV shows, they show some 3-4 dishes in like half an hour n' that means everything is happening so fast...I'm sometimes worried I'll miss out something. When I saw his show on using a grill stone for cooking, I was sure I have to try this paneer recipe that was featured. The first time I made this dish was about a year back. Have tried this many times after that n' it has always been a winner. But my paneer pieces weren't grilled to perfection, like I wanted it to and could never get a decent photograph until now.

I attended a BBQ session at Weber- Bangalore (outdoor BBQ grill dealers) recently and it helped me a lot with the grilling process this time around, (even though this recipe calls for grilling on the stove top.) Chef Sarabjeet, gave us a lot of pointers and it proved useful to me. They are running a weekend half a day BBQ workshop on May 1st, do let me know if you are interested, will give you the contact details. It is in fact, my favourite Paneer Grill recipe to date. So here you go.

Ingredients:

For the Paste:
1. Fresh coriander leaves : 2 bunches
2. Fresh mint leaves: 1bunch
3. Green chillies: 4nos (reduce if you don't like it too spicy)
4. Garlic: 10cloves
5. Ginger: 1 1/2" piece
6. Lemon Juice: 2tsp
7. Onion: 2nos (medium sized) chopped
8. Salt: as per taste
9. Hung Curd: 1 cup
10. Fresh pomegranate pearls: 2tbsp

For the Marinade:
11. Gram Flour (Besan): 4tbsp
12. Kasoori methi powder:2tbsp ( I used dried kasoori methi leaves)
13. Chat Masala: 2tsp
14. Roasted Cumin Powder: 2tsp
15. Garam Masala: 2tsp
16. Mustard Oil: 2tbsp ( I used regular Sunflower oil)

Other Ingredients:
17. Paneer (Cottage Cheese): 500gms (2 inch cubes)
18. Onion: 2nos (medium) cut into 2 inch pieces
19. Green Capsicum: 2nos- seeded(medium) cut into 2 inch pieces
20. Tomatoes: 2nos- seeded (medium) cut into 2 inch cubes

Method:

Step 1: Grind together green chillies, coriander leaves, mint leaves, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, onion, salt, yogurt and pomegranate pearls into a thick paste using very little water.

Step 2: Roast the cumin seeds n' powder it using a mortar and pestle. Roast gram flour for two to three minutes and set aside.

Step 3: Place the paneer cubes in a bowl, add kasoori methi powder, chaat masala, roasted cumin powder, garam masala powder, roasted gram flour and the ground paste and mix well. Add a tbsp of oil to this and marinate the paneer for two hours.

Step 4: Thread the paneer pieces onto skewers alternating with onion, capsicum and tomato pieces.

Step 5: Season the grill stone/pan with oil and heat. Place the skewers on the hot grill pan and grill for three to four minutes. Baste with oil, turn the skewers and cook the other side for two to three minutes. Once this was done, I turned the flame to high and grilled it over the flame for 5-6secs both sides. (this step wasn't part of Sanjeev Kapoor's recipe) Serve it hot with a dip/chutney and its gonna impress everyone.

I'm gonna give this recipe★★★★★ ;) Its a must try, take my word for it. Happy Cooking!

I'm sending this post to the event Dish Name Starts with H, hosted by Akila from Akila's Kitchen.

Chicken Aioli Salad

2011-04-27T16:07:00.000+03:00

I'm in love with Jamie Oliver, I have been since a while now. To me no one is as rustic as he is in the kitchen. I haven't tried very many of his recipes, but he has this knack to make you love simple food. His TV shows, with him, in his kitchen garden nipping n' cutting, fills me with a need to have a kitchen garden of my own. :)

Anyways, let me just stop gushing about him (for the time being) by saying that I have used his Aioli Recipe for this simple chicken summer salad. Aïoli is a lovely fragrant and pungent type of mayonnaise.

The ONLY (n' I mean "only") non veg junk food I love is this Chicken Pop corns on the KFC menu. I don't eat chicken burgers, i don't eat chicken wraps n' I don't eat their speciality Kentucky Fried Chicken. But these pop corns.....I find myself craving for them. Today having spend the whole morning out in the sun, I decided to get one portion of these Chicken Popcorn for myself to snack on while walking to the bus stop. But as I was stepping out of KFC, I saw my bus standing at the traffic signal n' rushed to get on it. I thought I'll eat them once I reach home savouring each piece one at a time. (lol...now do you know how much I love them??) While on the bus I started imagining this Chicken Salad with some crunchy greens and a rich creamy sauce using these chicken popcorn. This salad captures the essence of summer for me. Light, Crunchy n' Creamy. So here you go...

Ingredients:

For Aioli
1. Garlic: ½ a small clove of garlic (peeled)
2. Salt: as per taste*
3. Egg yolk: 1 (large)
4. Dijon mustard: 1 tsp
5. Extra virgin olive oil: 2 tbsp
6. Olive oil: 2tbsp
7. Lemon juice: to taste
8. Black pepper : as per taste (freshly ground)

*The Dijon mustard I bgt was already salty, so I have had to use very little extra salt.

For the Chicken
You can either grill some boneless chicken pieces or use a little spicy batter to deep fry small boneless chicken pieces (either way its gonna taste good)

Other Ingredients
Walnuts: 6-7 nos (chopped)
Strawberry: 2-3 (really ripe ones)
Lettuce Leaves: as required (I used Iceberg Lettuce coz they are so crunchy)
Alfalfa Sprouts: as required

Method:

Step 1: Crush the garlic and some salt in a pestle and mortar.

Step 2: Whisk together the egg yolk and mustard in a bowl

Step 3: Start to add your olive oils bit by bit. Once you’ve blended in a quarter of the oil you can start to add the rest in larger amounts.

Step 4: When it’s all added in and blended well, add the garlic and lemon juice.

To finish it off the sauce, season to taste with salt, pepper and a bit more lemon juice if needed.

Step 5: Add the chopped walnuts to the Aioli. Add the shredded/torn lettuce leaves (tear the leaves with your hands, its better) to this and toss the leaves well with your hands. Into a plate, serve some of the coated leaves, sprinkle some alfalfa sprouts, the chicken pieces and chopped strawberry and its ready.

Chocolate Carrot & Walnut Cake

2011-04-21T11:11:00.000+03:00

The first time I had freshly baked carrot cake with some freshly brewed black coffee....I really experienced heaven! My ex-colleague in Bahrain, Ruby Monkhouse, bakes the best carrot cake I have tasted. Jeff, Marise n' me, we would just wait for Rubz to bring some carrot cake treat for us. Rj on the other hand, who has never had them already declares he wouldn't like them. Rj is a foodie, but a real fussy one. Drive me up the wall most of the time.

I have been craving for some carrot cake since a while, but have been putting it off thinking, I will eat one piece, max to max 2 pieces..then who would eat the rest? That's when I came across the idea of Chocolate Carrot Cakes n' I thought to myself...wow....this exactly what I need. I mean they don't look like carrot cakes at all...:) So I just went ahead n' baked them, we have finished almost half the cake n' Rj is none the wiser as to what the main ingredient is...the only comment he made was..."this chocolate cake is slightly different" n' I said, "yeah, it must be the walnuts!"....lol...(lucky for me he doesn't read my blog....lol) So here you go..

Ingredients:

1. All Purpose Flour: 1 cup
2. Baking Powder: 1 and 1/4tsp
3. Baking Soda: 1/4tsp
4. Salt- 1/4tsp
5. Eggs- 2nos
6. Carrots: 1 and 1/4th cup (grated)
7. Caster Sugar: 1cup (adjust this a little if you don't want it too sweet)
8. Butter: 1/2 a cup* (room temperature)
9. Vanilla Extract: 1 1/2tsp
10. Cocoa Powder: 1/2 a cup
11. Walnuts: (crushed) a handful (add more if you like it)

Method:

Step 1: Heat oven to 180°C or 350°F. Grease a cake tin and line the bottom with a greaseproof paper. ( my Oven becomes hot fast, so as part of saving power, i always do this step just before I mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients.)

Step 2: Sift together all the dry ingredients like flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, caster sugar and cocoa powder.

Step 3: I would grate the carrots only at this stage. (as they will be fresher this way)

Step 4: Whisk the butter until really smooth n' creamy, add the vanilla essence and mix well.

Step 5: Add eggs one at a time and whisk well.

Step 6: Add the sifted dry ingredients in portions and whisk well,fold in the chopped walnuts.

Step 7: Pour out the same into the greased cake tin. Tap the bottom on to your work surface to ensure that there aren't any air bubbles.

Step 8: Bake it in the oven for about 30mins. Check the cake after 30mins, the centre of the cake should feel light n' springy, if you dip a toothpick in the centre it should come out clean. If you feel it is still sticky, bake it for another 5-10mins.

Cool it for 15mins or so and then cool it completely on a wire rack. I really liked it, but I thought it needs an icing, Ruby uses a Cream Cheese frosting with her carrot cake n' its just lovely, I haven't found cream cheese here in Bangalore yet, so couldn't do it. But a light icing would do wonders to this already great cake. Happy Baking!!

Mango Ice Lollies- Summer Delight on a Stick

2011-04-20T12:50:00.000+03:00

I got the moulds for ice sticks recently thinking I will make something for my nieces when they come for a visit next month....I washed the mould n' left it to dry n' RJ walks in at the end of the day sees them in the kitchen n' he is immediately like..."oh wow, you are gonna make me some ice sticks?"...honestly I just loved the idea...I mean I used to eat them by the dozens when we were kids....I can remember the days when I would stick out my tongue to check the color after having grapes, orange, mango ice sticks (we used to call them ice lollies). I have already done couple of batches so far n' we love them. They are just perfect for the hot summer n' so easy...:)

Ingredients:
Makes about 4 ice lollies

1. Ripe Mangoes: 3nos (Medium Sized)
2. Sugar: as per taste (check to see if needed)

Method:
1. Peel and de-stone the mango.
2. Chop them into small pieces.
3. Blend the mangoes and sugar together.
4. Fill the ice lolly moulds with the puree and freeze. (add a little water only if the puree is too thick)

Kids would just love this homemade treat....why kids? like us, you might enjoy them too...:)

I'm sending this post to 'Healing Food- Mango' event hosted by Reva of Kaarasaaram this month, also linking Siri of Cooking with Siri .

Also, sending this post to the event 'Kids Delight' hosted this month by Mina of Authentic Vegetarian Recipes, this event was initiated by Srivalli of Spice your Life.

Aloo Parathas- Coined by Me

2011-04-19T12:43:00.000+03:00

I wanted to call this post...'Coin Aloo de Parantha'...but RJ says that sounds all wrong (especially coming from a mallu gal) ;)...but i liked the ring it had...:). I think any mallu worth their salt knows about 'Kerala Coin Parotta'. I really enjoy them, but I have wondered on why they are called that...they are small but definitely bigger than a coin....so why are they called 'coin parotta'? Anyone who knows the answer please let me know.

I have made Aloo Parathas only couple of times before n' they weren't all that great...I have tried different recipes but I didn't get them right. But i'm glad to say all that is ancient history. If you have had a similar experience, well try this recipe here n' you'll be thrilled with the results. I'm in love with this recipe. ;) (well...what can I say i'm almost always overjoyed by simple pleasures in life!)

My blogger friend Madhuri from Cook Curry Nook posted this recipe for Cabbage Parantha couple of days back n' again I had this desire to try it out. RJ as it is gets a little worried when I tell him I'm making an attempt at aloo parathas (you know the history!), so didn't want to scare him with more veggie options. I know Mads is a great cook, so I followed her instructions n techniques to the t, other than changing the main ingredient n changing a few measurements here n' there. It was a huge hit n' we both loved it. Couldn't take any snaps last night though.

But I had some leftover filling and made them again for lunch today, just for me. ;)
And to add a little masti, I made them small like Coin Parathas today. ;) The idea to make them small came to me when the last atta ball turned out to be really small. So here you go. You can make 10 regular sized parathas using this recipe.

Ingredients:

For the Dough:
1.Whole wheat flour – 3 cups (plus extra for dusting)
2.Salt – to taste
3.Water – as required
4.Oil – 1 tbsps

For the Stuffing:
1.Potato – 3 nos (medium-sized, boiled with salt, peeled and mashed)
2.Garlic – 2 to 3 pods (finely chopped)
3.Ginger – 1/2″ long piece (crushed/minced)
4.Coriander/Cilantro – 2tbsp (finely chopped)
5.Green Chili (optional) – 1 no (finely chopped)
6.Chili powder – 1 tsp
7.Garam Masala – 1 tsp
8.Cumin Powder – 1 tsp
9.Coriander Powder – 1/4 tsp
10.Amchur Powder/ Dry Mango Powder (optional) – 1/2 tsp
11.Salt – to taste

Method:

Step 1: Prepare a dough as you would for chapathis. Cover and set aside for atleast 15-20 minutes.

Step 2: In the meantime mix together all the ingredients for stuffing (except salt) and set aside. (Madhuri gives a tip here asking us to add the salt only at the end as you are about to roll out the parathas as it will make the studffing soggy otherwise). If you have already used salt to boil the potatoes, just be careful while adding more.

Step 3: This is best served hot so once you are ready to begin, take a small amount of the roti dough, dust with some flour and flatten with a rolling-pin. Dip your finger in oil (keep aside a small bowl of oil just for this) and spread it onto the side where you are gonna keep the filling. (this is not part of the recipe from Madhuri) Also, if you want to make coin parathas make dough ball really small or you can do the needful in step 5)

Step 4: Put a nice heaped tbsp of stuffing in the centre and draw the edges of the dough towards the centre to cover the mixture.

Step 5: Dust with more flour, and roll out to a thickness that you want for your parathas. (Madhuri says Too thick a parantha will not cook well and too thin will break/crumble easily.) If you want to make coin parathas, cut it into small round circles using a cookie cutter, I had done this only after making the parathas. But if you do it at this stage, you won't waste any dough.

Step 6: Heat a tawa and cook the parantha on a medium flame. Remembering that this takes longer to cook than chapathis.

Step 7: Increase the flame at this stage and use butter or oil to cook the parantha on both sides. Lightly press it on to the tawa on each side to cook and get a nice crispy texture on top.

Another good thing about this dish is it doesn't need a curry to be served along with this. You can serve it with some nice yogurt/curd and pickle. I whipped the curd to make it smooth and added a little salt and a little cumin powder to get the right flavour.

I'm leaving the amount of oil/butter to be used for this recipe upto you, Can't share how much I used n' but it did taste really good. :) Compared to the phulkas I make everyday this was definitely sinful. So as a sinful indulgence once in a while it is fine, but not as an everyday meal.

The below snap is of the flowers that can be found all over Bangalore now. It is from a tree close to my place. Bangalore in bloom is just so so pretty.

Corn Pepper Lime

2011-04-17T17:26:00.000+03:00

As I'm sitting down to type this post, I see I have mail from Arundhuti of My Saffron Kitchen, I quickly click on the mail and see that I have won my first ever giveaway prize and that too a cookbook called "Cakes and Bakes" by Sanjeev Kapoor. I'm thrilled to bits and I'm thanking Arundhuti from the bottom of my heart. I mean, I really need to improve my baking n now I feel like God and Arundhuti (along with Sanjeev Kapoor) is gonna help me achieve this mission. :) She mentions that she will be doing more giveaways, please do visit her blog for more details.

Coming back to this post,I saw some really fresh corn in the veggie shop today and decided to buy it, without having a clue as to what I want to make with it. I'm into finding out the benefits of my ingredients now. I mean if I can, I would love to eat healthy food and Corn I read is a good source of Zinc. But having boiled corn for this recipe, I wonder if the nutrients were retained. Anyway,I have had this flavoured corn in a cup at least a zillion times when we go out (mostly found in Malls). I used to have them even when we were in Bahrain. My favourite flavour is Lime and Pepper. So for a lazy Sunday evening, I decided to try making this as evening snacks. It turned out easy, healthy and tasty. Its really simple..

Ingredients:

1. Corn Pods/Seeds: of 1 medium sized cob
2. Butter: 2tsp
3. Lemon Juice: half a lime (or as per taste, i love it sour)
4. Pepper Powder: 1/2tsp 5. Salt: as per taste
6. Water

Method:

Step 1: Boil the corn pods/seeds in water. Add some salt to the water while boiling. Roughly 10-15mins. (The pods should almost double up in size and should become really soft.). Set aside and corn in a deep bowl. Retain a little of this water separately to use later.

Step 2: Melt the butter. Add the lemon juice to this and mix well. Add couple of spoons of the salted water used to boil the corn to this. (If you are using salted butter, just remember to keep checking the seasoning)

Step 3: Add pepper powder to the bowl of boiled corn, add the lemon juice mixture and whisk well to get the corn coated well, and this is ready to serve hot. :)

When we buy this, I'm always trying to lick off even the last drop of liquid in my cup. So when I made this at home, I decided to give myself some extra juice.:) In the theatre we spent nearly Rs.50/- for this much corn last week, having made this at home I don't think I have spent more than Rs.20/- on this. ;). Between,if you are wondering the reason why I'm garnishing every post these days with Mint, its coz I have a nice mint plant in my small terrace garden now. ;)

You can replace pepper with the other flavours like chili flakes, chat masala etc. Add some chopped tomatoes and you can serve this as a Salad. I'm sending this off to the event Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays hosted by Deb from Kahakai Kitchen.

Soya Chunks Ularthiyathu

2011-04-15T09:54:00.000+03:00

I have never cooked with Soya Chunks, no that's not true....I should rephrase n' say I have never successfully cooked with Soya Chunks before today. The first time, I heard about this ingredient itself was around 5yrs back. RJ asked me if I knew how to make anything with Soya Chunks n I was like..."what are Soyachunks?" (really I had no clue). I told him I have never had this back home. Since I was a newbie cook with a lot of enthusiasm n' zero skills back then, I told him I'll make him something with soya chunks. Lets just say it was nightmarish. I had never bought soya chunks after that.

I'm observing lent this year and have been trying to make some new (n' possibly interesting) veggie dishes for RJ, who is, please note not observing lent. :( This is not really easy. Then my cousin, who turned veggie a couple of years back told me about this interesting Soya Chunk Ularthiyathu which is like this perfect substitute for Beef Ularthiyathu for vegetarians. I told her the bad experience I had with soya chunks n she said...."onnu podi, it's really easy, try it!" (can't translate the words "onnu podi" into English n' capture its essence) :)

Then I saw the 2 blog posts with soya chunks on Priya's Blog- Priya's Easy n Tasty Recipes and got really inspired to try it. So here you go...

Ingredients:

1. Soya Chunks – 1cup( cook as per instructions given on the box or cover)
2. Onion- 1 no (big- sliced)
3. Green Chili- 1no (slit) avoid this if you don't want it to be spicy)
4. Homemade Garam Masala- 1tsp ('amma special' from home)
5. Chili powder – 1/2 tsp
6. Coriander powder – 1tbsp
7. Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
8. Ginger – 1/2inch piece (crushed)
9. Garlic – 1-2 pods (crushed)
10. Small Onion– 10nos (crushed)
11. Salt – as per taste
12. Vinegar – 1 tsp
13. Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
14. Curry leaves
15. Oil – 2tsp (let's try n' keep this healthy)

Method:

Step 1: Combine the powdered spices- Chili Powder, Coriander Powder, Turmeric Powder, Garam Masala, crushed garlic, ginger, small onion and salt to the cooked soyachunks. Set it aside at least for 10-15mins for the pieces to get marinated well with the spices.

Step 2: Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and curry leaves. Saute the onions and green chili (if using), till it becomes golden brown.

Step 3: Add the marinated soya chunks and cook it covered for at least 10-15mins. (If needed add a little water at this stage.)

Step 4: Stir fry this uncovered on low flame and stirring occasionally till you get a dark color and it is roasted well. If you want you can sprinkle a pinch of garam masala just before taking it off the fire.

This is best served with rice or chapati and some mild gravy dish. Once I made this I realized, this dish is just so much like Beef Ularthiyathu. To those who have never tried Soyachunks, I won't lie and say this is as perfect as BEEF. For me Beef is like the king among meats. It does look so much like beef and but this is definitely more healthy. ;)

Another thing I wanted to let you all know is, Karen, a contributor to a Wiki project called MyCityCuisine.org contacted me a couple of days back asking me if I would consider posting an announcement that MyCityCuisine is currently looking for contributors. I told her well ofcourse! ;)...So fellow food bloggers who are interested, please go to this website.

a beckoning- Lime Mint Cooler

2011-04-14T14:24:00.000+03:00

While in Bahrain, we used to frequent this South Indian restaurant by the name of 'Sangeetha', almost every Saturday after mass for breakfast. (Yes, since Sundays were working days we used to go for Mass on Saturdays). This Restaurant was right outside the Indian Club and used to be really busy. Irrespective of what we order to eat, we'd invariably end up asking them for a 'Lime Mint Cooler'. Just the name is so refreshing. Now that we are back in Bangalore and summer being particularly hot, I thought i'd surprise my RJ with this family favourite drink's homemade version today....:)

Ingredients:
(Serves 2)

1. Mint/Pudina leaves - 1 handful
2. Lemon - 1 (whole)
3. Sugar- 1 tbsp(as per taste)
4. Water - 2 cups (pfrbly Cold)
5. Ice - 2-4cubes
6. Yellow/Green food color - a pinch (optional)

Method:

Step 1.Extract the juice from the lemons and keep it aside.

Step 2.Grind mint leaves with little water in a mixer until nicely grinded. Then add remaining water,lime juice,sugar and blend it for a minute.

Step 3.Filter it, then mix food color,add crushed ice and serve chilled.

Marble Cake

2011-04-13T08:43:00.000+03:00

If you look into my blog you can see that i'm a novice at baking. That being said i'm thrilled to bits today coz I baked my first marble cake without using a ready mix....yipppeeee....i'm just so happy....Even though I prefer savoury things to sweet things, I do love a good Marble Cake. My appa used to buy me a marble cake from Anns Bakery ( a famous chain of Bakery from my part of Kerala) as I leave home to come to Bangalore. Honestly, I used to loathe sharing it with anyone. But RJ likes it even more than me, I think. He is cake-aholic of sorts.

These days, I sorta ask him everyday morning..."what would you like to try today?" (makes it sounds very 'oh I can make anything n' everything you want types')...but in reality, i'm really scared of making things I have no clue about. He asked me for a Marble Cake yesterday n' lets just say I didn't make it..But anyways today morning, I decided to give it a go. Feels like I have accomplished something huge....:D...i'm so glad I like my Marble Cake too...i'm just dying for RJ to come home n' get a taste of this....;). So here we go.

Ingredients

1. Butter: 225g (softened)
2. Caster Sugar: 225g
3. Eggs: 4nos
4. Flour : 225g
5. Baking Powder: 1tsp
6. Baking Soda: 1/4tsp
7. Salt: a pinch
8. Milk: 3 tbsp
9. Vanilla extract: 1 tsp
10. Cocoa Powder: 3 tbsp

Method

Step 1: Heat oven to 180°C or 350°F. Grease a 20cm cake tin and line the bottom with a circle of greaseproof paper. ( my Oven becomes hot fast, so as part of saving power, i always do this step just before I mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients.)

Step 2: Sift together, the flour, baking poweder, baking soda n' salt. (try n' sift it atleast twice to be sure that baking powder n' soda mixes well or alternativly just use 225 self raising flour)

Step 3: Beat the butter and sugar together, then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Step 4: Fold through the flour, milk and vanilla extract into the above until the mixture is smooth. ( I got a little worried at this point, coz the mixture seemed much more thicker n' fluffier than my BC cake mix that I'm used to. But I just blindly trusted the recipe n' went ahead)

Step 5: Divide the mixture between 2 bowls. Stir the cocoa powder into the mixture in one of the bowls. Take 2 spoons and use them to dollop the chocolate and vanilla cake mixes into the tin alternately. ( The only thing I will do differently the next time is reduce the quantity of the mixture which i'm using to mix the cocoa powder that way I think I will get more defined portions once the cake is baked.)

Step 6: When all the mixture has been used up, tap the bottom on your work surface to ensure that there aren't any air bubbles. Take a skewer and swirl it around the mixture in the tin a few times to create a marbled effect.

Step 7: Bake the cake for 45-50 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Turn out onto a cooling rack and leave to cool.

This recipe is a keeper. I'm gonna give it ★★★★★ ;)

Chocolate Mud Cake (Eggless)

2011-04-08T13:36:00.000+03:00

This is my first post this year, infact its more like my first post since almost a year. Too many things have happened since we moved back to bangalore n' I have not been able to keep up with the bloggers here at all. But my work timing after I started working in Bangalore, left me with very little spare time. Now I have left my job, having decided to take a career break of sorts.

Have been meaning to get back to blogging since a month now, but just couldn't find that start. Today is my Ammachi's (granny's) b'day. She would have been a 100yrs old if she were here with us. She passed away 10yrs back. We were very close and I miss her on some days more than other days. She was an amazing n passionate cook. She was blind but that never stopped her from cooking. I rememeber how I used to sit by her side waiting for her to give me the cake mix bowl once she pours out the mix into the baking tin. Licking the mixing bowl clean esp if its a chocolate cake was an amazing experience. Infact she would leave some extra for me to polish off just coz I loved the dripping chocolate mix so much. But I never spent anytime with her learning to cook. I was interested only in eating what she made, I regret that now. I wish i had learnt from her, would've made me a better cook. So here I am, trying to get better at cooking and dedicating a post to her.

This recipe is called 'Magic Chocolate Mud Pudding' can't remember who I got this from. Yeah 'pudding' but for me the final result is more like a cake. I tried this recipe last week n' it wasn't great. I was amazed my instincts had turned faulty, coz I had fallen in love with the recipe and it didn't taste as awesome as I thought it would. So for the first time I decided to give it a try again. (I mean I never retry recipes which don't turn out well the first time around.) But I made a few changes and now it tastes really nice. I'm dying for RJ to come home n' taste it.

Ingredients:

1. Butter: 50gms or 1/4 cup
2. Muscovado Sugar (light): 200gms or 1 cup (generous)
3. Caster Sugar: 1tsp
4. Milk: 475ml or 2cups
5. Self- Raising Flour: 90gms or 1cup (pls refer to comments if you have only plain flour)**
6. Vanilla Essence: 1tsp (the original recipe asked for 1 tsp of ground cinnamon)
7. Cocoa Powder: 5tbsp
8. Vanilla Ice Cream to serve it with

** Mix 1 and 1/4tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt to flour if you don't have self raising flour with you.

Method

1. Pre heat the oven to 180°C or 350°F. Lightly grease an ovenproof dish and place a baking sheet inside. (since my oven heats up pretty quickly i did this step just before I mixed the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.) It is mentioned that something like a soufflé dish is perfect for this.

2. Portion or Divide the Brown Sugar, Milk and Cocoa Powder as mentioned below.

First Portion
Brown Sugar: 115gm or 3/4cup
Milk : 150ml or 2/3 cup
Cocoa Pwdr : 1 tbsp

Second Portion
Brown Sugar: 85gms or 1/4cup
Milk : 325ml or 1+1/3rd cup
Cocoa Pwdr : 4tbsp

3. Place the butter in a saucepan. Add 115gm or 3/4cup of sugar and 150ml or 2/3rd cup of the milk and the caster sugar. Heat gently, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted and all the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat. Add vanilla essence to this if you are using it instead of cinnamon.

4. Sift the flour, cinnamon (if you are using ground cinnamon instead of vanilla essence) and 1tbsp of cocoa into the pan and stir into the mixture, mixing evenly. (i used a hand mixer this time on low speed). Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and level the surface.

5. Sift the remaining sugar and cocoa poder into a bowl, mix well, then sprinkle evenly over the pudding mixture in the dish. Pour the remaining milk over the mixture.

6. The recipe asked for 45-50mins (but i thought this was too much) so i think you need only abt 30-40mins depending on the quantity you are using and the dish size. In any case, check after 30mins to see. The sponge should have risen to the top and it should be firm to touch.

This is best served hot with some ice cream. Because it hadn't turned out well the last time, I reduced the quantity by half this time, but now i wish i hadn't. :) In my picture, it looks really different from a pudding or a cake coz it looks so thin. I didn't have a small dish to bake my small qunatity in, had to use the big baking tin itself. Will try n' post a pudding pic when I serve this to RJ with some icecream on top. Happy Cooking!

Salsa de Mango with Spicy Shrimps

2010-05-27T20:08:00.000+03:00

Well i was hoping my next post would be about our favourite hangouts in Bahrain, after all we lived like tourists in Bahrain the last week we were there (except the last day that is...which was insanely busy n' tiring). But that is taking more time n' me getting back into the kitchen today kinda made me want to do this post right away. After hours of travelling, a tiring day we reached home n' it just feels so right!! It has started raining in Kerala already, not pouring but enough to keep the heat at bay.

There is an insane supply of fresh mangoes at home n' i have been freaking out on them, which has already resulted in a pimple on my face, a clear indication that i shouldn't overdo it...but what the hell...i just can't resist plucking one n' eating it...

Amma was making Shrimps today and i have been dying to try this Mango Salsa recipe that i had come across sometime back. I fell in love with the colors the first time i saw it n' the taste didn't disappoint me. Amma's Spicy Shrimps recipe was very similar to the Prawns Chili Fry recipe i had put up earlier n so i'm not putting it up here again. The Mango Salsa was a perfect accompaniment to the spicy shrimps, so here you go...

Ingredients:

1.Mango: 1cup (cut into small cubes)
2.Tomatoes: 1/2 cup (seeded n' cut into small pieces)
3.Cilantro/ Coriander Leaves: 1tbsp (chopped)
4.Red onion:2 tsp(finely chopped)
5.Salt: 1/4 tsp(or as required)
6.Lime Juice: 1/2 tsp (or as required)
7.Black Pepper: a pinch (optional)
8.Green Chili: 3/4tsp ( seeded and veins removed, finely chopped)

Method:

Step 1: Combine all ingredients. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Step 2: Toss before serving.

Best served with some hot spicy seafood or grilled chicken or serve it with tortilla chips and give it a Mexican angle. ;)

Cooking Utensils- Must Have List- (My 'i might not find them again- but would like to own them'-list)

2010-04-29T10:36:00.000+03:00

Like some of you who visit my blog already know, i'm relocating back to India from Bahrain. I was having a chat with my friend, Maria from Maria's Menu, and she was warning me that we don't get a lot of ingredients and kitchen gadgets that we get here back in India n' sometimes when you do get them, it turns out to be really really expensive...

That being the case, i decided to make a list of things (non perishable) like cooking utensils n' gadgets i'm gonna take along with me. I don't know if i have mentioned this before, but cooking for me is a new found love so while in India i never took note of what are the kinds of things i will find there. So please don't get offended if i say i'm gonna take cupcakes/muffins paper moulds with me from here. I just mean, i don't know where i will find them back home n' so it's better to take some with me than go searching all over......I'm a newbie to baking with a secret desire to become better at it, but i haven't tried anything much with it...but I found this article online n' i thought it is helpful for me to choose some basic things i want to take with me....

For the all round cooking with utensils n' gadgets, i found this website really helpful, and this one i'm sure most of the things mentioned here would be avialable back home, but this atleast helped me frame a list of things i should have. Try out the other related links n' you might find more info on things you might be interested in...

It's been over a week since i visited blogs of my friends here n' the main reason is i find blogs really inspiring n' i end up feeling like i want make something nice instead of eating out n' i don't have the things i might need with me....which is very frustrating to say the least....i don't know how soon my kitchen would be functional once we reach back as we need to find a place to stay once we reach Bangalore. I have some new dishes in my draft to post, but need to find the snaps. Hopefully, i will do it over the next couple of days as i have nothing to do at work these days. We have been eating out most of the days or have been getting invitations to eat at our friends place...so i'm shamelessly eating like a royalty with no credit to the thought on my mind that if i eat like a pig there is a very good chance i might end up looking like one too....:(

Mutton Masala- n' my Relocation Challenges

2010-04-29T09:21:00.001+03:00

Ok, this post has been living in my draft long enough i guess....i made this a while ago but i was lazy to type the recipe from the book n' it's just been lying there...so i decided to take control of the situation n' type out the whole thing late last evening.

There are just way too many changes happening in my life right now...we are relocating back to india (from bahrain) n' we are slowly selling of things we don't (or rather can't) take back home n' will have to start sending off things home that we want to take back with us....so with all that happening...i'm gonna be fridge-less, oven-less, gasburner-less n' most likely pots n' pans less for a month or a little while longer....imagine that???....i'm dreading the thought...but at the same time it feels like it's gonna be a challenge to win over....lol...so if you guyz don't find me here for a while, or if you find my serving dish n' cooking dish is the same you will know why.....i'll be back with a lot of energy n'zing in sometime....but for the time being i'm thinking what will our meals be like this coming month....so please do wish us well...:)...again this recipe is from my Nita's Mehta's cookbook...so here you go...

Ingredients:

1. Mutton: 500gms (preferably use pieces with bones)
2. Onions: 4 medium (chopped)
3. Ghee or Oil: 5-6tbsp (used only 3tbsp)
4. Bay Leaf: 1no
5. Garlic: 8-10 flakes (crushed to paste)
6. Ginger: 1" piece (crushed to paste)
7. Salt: 3/4tsp or as per taste
8. Red Chili Powder: 3/4 tsp
9. Garam Masala: 3/4tsp
10.Turmeric Powder: 1/2tsp
11.Coriander Powder: 1tsp
12.Cumin Seeds: 3/4tsp (crushed)
13.Tomatoes: 4 large (pureed)
14.Green Chili: 1 (chopped) (the original recipe didn't ask for this)
15. Water: 1cup

Method:

Step 1: In a pressure cooker heat oil or ghee. Add the bay leaf and chopped onions. Stir fry for 4-5mins on medium flame till onions turn light brown.

Step 2: Add ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute

Step 3: Add the mutton pieces and cook for 15minutes on medium heat stirring every few minutes.

Step 4: Add the tomato puree to the above and mix well. Stir for 10-12 minutes on high flame.

Step 5: Add salt, red chili powder, garam masala, turmeric powder, coriander powder and crushed cumin seeds to the above. Mix well and cook for 3-4minutes.

Step 6: Add 1 cup water, mix well and close the cooker. Allow it to cook till 2 whistles. Keep on low heat or another 15mins. Remove from fire. Let the pressure drop by itself.

It's ready, transfer it to a serving dish, garnish and serve it hot with chapathis. Honestly, i was more in love with the picture than the dish itself, but i know a lot of mutton lovers in my family n' would love to make this for them again. The only change i'm gonna make is add some more spice to this. It wasn't spicy enough for RJ. ;)

Noodle Omelette (or Should I say) Noodle Frittata

2010-04-28T08:31:00.001+03:00

This happens to be my 50th post and seems like it took me a long while to reach here...my sister n' mom saw my foodblog only recently and were quite impressed that the skinny gal who would eat only pickle n' tamarind (most of the time even for meals) is considering a variety of dishes now...:D...i remember how i used to trouble amma when i'm back from school (actually even when i was in college) for an evening snack...somehow that was the most important meal of the day for me then. I was easy n' difficult (according to amma) to feed. ;)...easy coz you could give me my favourite dishes everyday n i wouldn't complain. But now that i have started cooking n' RJ is like me...i have started appreciating how this habit can be difficult as well...coz its so boring to make the same thing over n' over again...;)

Anyways my recipe today was something my mom used to make for me....especially as an evening snack...i used to like this a lot n' i decided to make this for RJ recently...give it a try especially if you have kids...they will love this...adding cooked chicken pieces to this can even make this a meal i guess....;)...so here you go...

Ingredients:

1. Noodles: 100gms
2. Eggs: 4nos
3. Onion: 2nos medium (sliced)
4. Tomatoes: 1no (chopped)
5. Taste Maker: 1 sachet (or as required)
6. Cheese: 2-3 tsp (grated)
7. Butter: enough to grease the pan
8. Salt: to taste (keeping in mind that the tastemaker has salt as well)
9. Green Chili: 1no (seeded n' chopped)

Method:

Step 1: Cook the noodles and keep aside.

Step 2: Saute the sliced onion till tender.

Step 3: Add the tomatoes and the green chili to this and cook for a while.

Step 4: Add the tastemaker, if using at this stage.

Step 5: Mix in the cooked noodles with the above.

Step 6: Beat the eggs well and pour half of it into a non stick pan. Add the noodles mixture to this. Let it be for a minute or less.

Step 7: Sprinkle the grated cheese on top of this. Pour the rest of the beaten egg on top.

Step 8: Cover it with a lid n' cook on low flame. Add salt if required and its ready. (I flipped it with great difficulty just to ensure that both the sides are cooked evenly. If you don't want to flip it n' covering the pan with the lid is not giving you the results you desire...just pop this into the oven for a while n' that should ensure the top is cooked well without you having to flip it.)

So here i'm dedicating my 50th post to my amma...the most important person in my life.

Tawa Pilaf- Chaat Style

2010-04-21T21:54:00.000+03:00

I have been watching the Sanjeev Kapoor cooking shows on n' off for a while now. If you have seen his shows, you must have noticed how quick they are n' he makes it look like its hardly any work. I have never been good at keeping everything ready n then cooking, i go with the flow n' run all around n' pick things from here n' there. That could be one reason why i have never been able to manage step by step photos on this blog, maybe i will save some time too but i'm not too sure if n' when i will do all that...

So anyways i came across this recipe on his show for tawa pilaf, i have always wanted to try it n' decided to watch the whole show and decided to try it too. But once i finished making it and tasted it, i felt like it was more like a 'Tawa Pilaf-Chaat' than the authentic pilaf (i'm sure there will be an authentic Vegetable Pilaf recipe of Sanjeev Kapoor's somewhere, i plan to i find it n' give it a try)...go through the ingredients list and you will know why i wanted to call it a Chaat....it's really really easy to make, especially so if you have some left over plain rice and want to try something different. So here you go...

* i made enough only for one person, and i'm mentioning the quantity used according to that. (you see i'm still on my "cooking for one" week)

Ingredients:

1. Cooked Rice: 1cup
2. Oil: 1/2 to 3/4th tsp
3. Cardamom: 1no
4. Jeera: 1/2tsp
5. Onion: 1no (chopped)
6. Ginger Garlic Paste: 1tsp
7. Tomato: 1no (chopped)
8. Capsicum: 1/2 piece (chopped)
9. Green Peas: 2tbsp
10.Carrot: 1 small (cut it into small cubes)
11.Beans: 4-5nos (thin slices)
12.Pav Bhaji Masala: 1tsp
13.Red Chili Paste: 1/2tsp (i used paprika powder instead)
14.Lemon Juice: 2-3 drops (add only just before serving)
15.Salt: as per taste
16.Coriander Leaves: 2tsp (chopped)
17.Water

* though the original recipe didn't ask for it, i added one chopped green chili too

Method:

Step 1: Heat Oil in a kadai, add the cardamom and jeera. After 20seconds, add the chopped onion
and ginger garlic paste n' fry it until lightly brown.

Step 2: Add the chopped tomatoes and the other vegetables that you are using. Add a little water and cook for 5mins.

Step 3: Add the pav bhaji masala, chili paste and salt. Allow the masala to cook and you will see oil separating.

Step 4: Add the cooked rice and mix well. Let it cook for a while.

Step 5: Add the chopped coriander leaves and sprinkle the lemon juice. Mix it well and it's ready.

Serve it hot with some masala papad and raita.

p.s. i had called the recipe vegetable biryani by mistake.....they broadcasted the show again i realised the recipe here is Tawa Pilaf by Sanjeev Kapoor n' not Vegetable Biryani. I'm really sorry about the error.

Chopped Egg And Avocado Sandwich

2010-04-20T11:15:00.000+03:00

My "Cooking for One" challenge is still on and i woke up really early today...spoke to my sister n' she wanted my Punjabi Paneer Makhani recipe n' i had to sent to her on email....so once that was done i still had time to get ready for work n' decided to make something that feels really fresh...I have 6 posts in my draft that i made which i haven't posted yet...just no time!!!! Month ends are a busy time at work. But this was so good...i just couldn't wait to post it....

Also, i really need to dedicate a post to two of my good friends, Veerendra Mishra and Preetha P (non-bloggers)who found it really hard to believe that i can cook... actually quote unquote..."cook, style n' take decent pics"....lol...sometimes even i'm still surprised...;)...so i'm dedicating this post to them ;)...also i have made an Avocado Milkshake along with this post...i remember when i was working with them in ABN AMRO Bank- Bangalore, i used to order this so often...i can't seem to remember the name of the chain of fruit juice shops we used to order it from..:(...anyways i'm told it's full of good cholesterol....

I'm a big fan of Avocado or Butter Fruit (as we fondly call it back home), when my friend introduced me to Guacamole for the first time....i got addicted to it for life....so when i came across this recipe i was 'Oh so keen' about trying it...so here you go...(pls note i'm going to give the measurements enough to make just one sandwich...please adjust accordingly if you want to make more....)

Ingredients:

1. Egg: 1 large (hard-boiled, peeled and chopped)
2. Onion: 2-3 tsps (chopped)
3. Parsley Leaves: 1 tbsp (chopped)
4. Dry Oregano: 1/4 tsp
5. Dijon Mustard: 1/4 tsp
6. Chili Mayonnaise *: 1-2tsp (yeah i went a little overboard with it...;) )
7. Ripe Avocado: half piece (the avocado needs to be halved, seeded, meat scooped out and diced)
8. Salt: to taste (just keep in mind that the Mayonnaise & Dijon Mustard will already have salt in it)
9. Black pepper: to taste (freshly ground)
10.Brown Bread: 2 slices (i have used a brown bun here but you can use any bread of your choice, lightly toasted)
11. Cheese of your choice: 1no (optional) (i didn't use it)

* i used chili mayo coz i love the flavour, you can use plain. but if you do want to use it and you only have plain mayo with you, all you need to do for a quick fix is just add chili flakes to your mayo n' mix well.

Method:

Step 1: In a bowl, mix the chopped Egg, Onion, Parsley, Dijon Mustard and Mayonnaise together.

Step 2: Toss in the chopped avocado, sprinkle with oregano, salt and pepper and gently mix well.

Step 3: Lightly toast the bread slices. Scoop a generous amount of the chopped egg and avocado on a slice of bread, add a slice of cheese (if using) and top with another slice of bread.

Here's a snap of my Avocado Milk Shake, i had the other half of Avocado which i didn't use in the sandwich right? i made the milk shake with it...as you can see it's served in a Big Beer Glass...i was missing RJ n' decided to have the milk shake in his Beer Glass (a gift from me)...and as you can see it was a lot...so i could have only this for breakfast and i got the sandwiches with me for lunch...;)

Grapes and Banana Smoothie- My 'Remember Me by Smoothie'

2010-04-19T12:45:00.001+03:00

Ok...i realise i made a big mistake by telling who ever was asking me that it isn't all that hot out here in Bahrain yet....this was last week n' this week it's scorching hot n' humid out here n' RJ is travelling for 5 Days...that means i'm cooking for one...normally it's with great difficulty that i reduce the ingredients and make a meal for 2...

Now that i have to reduce to a serving of one...i'm failing miserably n' that also means i'm sorta overeating...;)...but i'm blissfully making things i love to have n' hence i refuse to notice the fat on my thighs...;)...during this week's shopping RJ was commenting that 'i'm like a girl in a candy store' next to the vegetable n' fruits counters...which he doesn't understand...you see...he is an affirmed meataholic.

Leaving all that aside...i decided to make a smoothie...when i utter the word smoothie what comes into my mind are those extremely beautiful berry drinks in amazing colors...but berries other than strawberry are so expensive out here...i won't be able to justify my overindulgence...we get blueberry, raspberry, blackberry and redcurrants...they all look pretty in their cozy small box... a box the size of my palm will cost nothing less than USD 6 or roughly Rs.270/-.

As usual i'm digressing....so i wanted to make a smoothie for RJ before he leaves n' decided to make do with some really ripe sweet black grapes n' extra ripe bananas....i saw some smoothie recipes were asking for it to be served in Hurricane glasses..didn't have a clue what they were n' decided to look it up only to realise that the glass we got when we ordered a cocktail in Hard Rock Cafe- London was a Hurricane glass...quickly made up my mind to serve this smoothie in that glass....this was sorta of my version of "Remember Me by Smoothie" for RJ... was pretty nice...quick fix, tasty n' cheap...Oolala...

Ingredients:

1. Black or Red Grapes: 2 handful (seedless)
2. Bananas : 2 large
3. Ice cubes: 1 cup
4. Milk: 1/4 cup
5. Mint Leaves: 4-5 (crushed) (optional)
6. Sugar : 3-4tsp (optional)

Method:

Step 1 : Place the bananas and grapes into a blender and mix until it is a "smooth" liquid.

Step 2: Add the ice and blend until crushed.

Step 3: Add milk and sugar n' crushed mint leaves if using, mix until smooth.

Step 4: Pour into a hurricane glasses and serve immediately.

Puliyogare or Tamarind Rice

2010-04-17T18:28:00.001+03:00

When I moved to Bangalore from Kerala, I got to try a lot of new cuisines. New to me I mean. When I started working I lived in a paying guest accommodation for a while. They were a really nice Kannadiga family and the aunty there used to insist on me eating at least some of the food that she makes at home. Almost all the things made there were unfamiliar to me. But out of all the things I tried what I loved the most in Kannadiga food has to be Poliyogare. I was missing Bangalore so much last week i wanted to dedicate a post to Puliyogare and eat some as well. ; )

Puliyogare is a South Indian rice preparation usually eaten as a snack. Puli means sour taste and Ogara means rice in Halegannada, thus Puliyogare translates as sour tasting rice. Puliyogare is also known as Huli anna or Tamarind Rice in some parts of Karnataka.

It is traditionally made using steamed or boiled rice mixed with tamarind juice, groundnuts or peanuts, coriander, coconut, red chilli, curry leaves, jaggery, pepper, mustard, fenugreek, turmeric, asafoetida, urad dal, and cumin. I

Puliyogare is particularly known to be a specialty of the Iyengar community, and some of the best puliyogare can be found in South Indian Sri Vaishnava temples, associated with the Iyengar community.

I have always loved tamarind, the fact that we have a really big tamarind tree at home could be one of the main reason why. Yet we have never made this dish at home. So I had no clue where to begin, n’ didn’t know who to go asking. Then I noticed that MTR- Puliyogare mix is readily available here and I decided to give it a go. It turned out just perfect, just the way I remember n’ like it. RJ doesn’t like it at all…but with the mix that is ready…it doesn’t feel like I’m doing double work with making something for me n’ something else for him. This mix is ready to use and just add this to cooked rice n’ it’s ready. After making this I decided to check the blogging world for some good recipes for Puliyogare n’ came across 2, one from Malas Kitchen and other one from Red Chillies. I decided to bookmark these for later... :)...if you are unable to get the ready mix, i would suggest you give the recipes here a try...have a nice weekend...:)

Baby Spinach and Strawberry Salad with Balsamic/Honey Vinaigrette

2010-04-15T09:46:00.000+03:00

Recently, i came across this recipe on Fight the Fat Foodie and i just had to give it a try. The fact that i had most of the things needed for the recipe with me kinda helped. I just loved this, had i not seen this recipe there, i wouldn't even have thought a combination like this was going to taste this good. A special thanks to Scott for posting this recipe...:D

The recipe called for minced Shallot...which i didn't add...I made enough just for 2 people and i added Bread Bites that we get in retails shops here to get an extra crunch...so my version of this recipe is little less healthy i guess...:)

A pic of the Twistos-Bread Bites that i used in this salad is given here....the link will give you the Calories in these :(...but it does not put me off....you see it tastes really nice...:D

Ingredients:

1. Baby Spinach: 200gms
2. Strawberries: 100gms (sliced)
3. Olive Oil: 2tbsp (extra virgin -if possible)
4. Balsamic Vinegar: 2tbsp
5. Garlic: 1 clove (minced)
6. Honey: 1 tbsp
7. Twistos- Bread Bites: 1/2 cup (optional)

Method:

Step 1: To make the vinaigrette, combine balsamic, garlic and one of the strawberries (crushed).

Step 2: Slowly whisk in the oil.

Step 3: Combine spinach, strawberries and dressing, add the bread bites if you are using it n' serve immediately.

To get my husband to eat greens is a big task for me...but he loved this n' that just made this Salad even more special...definitely going to feature in my kitchen again......:)

p.s. this snap has also gotten accepted in tastespotting...still leaving me feeling i'm on top of the world...;)

I'm sending this post to the Serve me Some....Salads event hosted by Madhuri of Cook-curry Nook.

Spinach Salad with Alfalfa Sprouts and Feta Cheese

2010-04-13T12:44:00.000+03:00

I posted some of the food pics on my facebook profile and i came across this snap i had taken a while back n' had forgotten to post it here...the recipe was downloaded....but i made a few changes n' omissions here n' there...the reason why i decided to give it a try was coz i had found this packet of Alfalfa Sprouts and wanted to make something with them....so here you go..

Ingredients:

1. Spinach: 450gms (cleaned and dried)...(i didn't have any when i wanted to make this so i used lettuce instead...)*
2. Alfalfa Sprouts: 1/2 cup
3. Feta Cheese:1/2 cup (crumbled)
4. Apple: 1no (sliced into matchsticks)

* i'm sorry i left the name of the dish as a spinach salad itself even though i didn't use it myself...the reason why i didn't change the name to a lettuce salad is cause i really think that this will taste even better with spinach than lettuce.

Dressing Ingredients:

1 Yogurt: 1/2 cup (low-fat)
2. Garlic: 2 tsp (minced)
3. Fresh Parsley: 1/2 cup (chopped)-(i added mint leaves instead)
4. Light Mayonnaise:3 tbsp
5. Dijon mustard:2 tsp
6. Fresh Basil: 1/4 cup chopped (didn't have any with me)
7. Orange Juice: of one orange
8. Salt and pepper to taste
9. Sunflower seeds: 3 tbsp (to garnish) (i added pomegranate seeds instead)

Method:

Dressing Instructions:
Step 1: In a medium sized bowl whisk all dressing ingredients together starting with the yogurt excluding sunflower or pomegranate seeds .

Step 2: Cover and let stand in the refrigerator for 1 – 2 hours to allow the flavour to develop.

Salad Instructions:
Step 1: In a large bowl toss the spinach together with dressing. Add the remaining ingredients (sprouts, feta cheese and apple) and top with Sunflower/ Pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately.

Broccoli & Asparagus Stir Fry

2010-04-12T15:47:00.000+03:00

Ok...this will have to be the simplest recipe i will ever post. Have you ever thought to your self...if you could be a vegetable what would you be??? (or has this thought only occured to me??...considering my love for veggies)...anyways...if i could be a veggie i would want to be Broccoli...i can't tell you how much i love broccoli...i owe this love affair to Sandra, my best friend. We used to go for Jazz classes, come back hungry n' gorge on broccoli stir fry...so i'm dedicating this post to her...:D

A little fact i read about Broccoli on Wikipedia which i didn't know before...Broccoli evolved from a wild cabbage plant on the continent of Europe. Indications point to the vegetable being known of 2,000 years ago. Since the Roman Empire, broccoli has been considered a uniquely valuable food among Italians. Broccoli was first introduced to the United States by these immigrants, but had not become widely known until the 1920s. The benefits of broccoli are greatly reduced if the vegetable is boiled more than ten minutes.

Broccoli is high in vitamins C, K, and A, as well as dietary fiber; it also contains multiple nutrients with potent anti-cancer properties. A high intake of broccoli has been found to reduce the risk of aggressive prostate cancer. Broccoli consumption has also shown that it is beneficial in the prevention of heart diseases.

If i want RJ to eat this i have to give him some fried beef along with it...(i think beef n' broccoli is a great combination)...now that asparagus is in season i decided to partner it with broccoli n' i loved it....so here you go...

Ingredients:

1. Broccoli: 500gms
2. Asparagus: 200gms
3. Butter: 3-4tsp (i use indian Amul Butter coz i just love it)
4. Salt: as per taste or 1/2 tsp (if you are using salted butter like me..reduce the quantity)
5. Black Pepper: 2 pinch (optional)*
6. Garlic: 1no (crushed) (optional)*
7. Lemon juice: 2-3 drops (optional)*

* the reason why i have mentioned these as optional is coz i mostly don't add them...i like it simply with butter n' salt...but adding these might give a zing if you don't like it plain)

Method:

Step 1: Cut off bottom fourth of asparagus, and discard, as it is tough and stringy. I cut rest into 3-inch pieces each. (To set the color of the asparagus, briefly blanch in boiling water.)

Step 2: Slice the broccoli into medium pieces.

Step 3: Add butter into a hot wok. If you are using garlic add it to the butter once the butter has melted. Add broccoli and asparagus to this. Stir well.

Step 4: You will see the both broccoli and asparagus pieces turning into a bright green colour. This indicates it's done. Add salt and black pepper and sprinkle some lemon juice if you are using it and it's ready. (But like i said... i like having it with just butter n' salt....)

Murgh Makhani urf Butter Chicken

2010-04-11T17:02:00.000+03:00

Butter chicken or Murgh Makhani is an Indian dish from Punjab, they say this dish is among the best known Indian foods all over the world. The origins of butter chicken can be traced back to Delhi, during the period of Mughal Empire. While the dish's general recipe is well known, the actual flavor can vary from restaurant to restaurant even within India. Its gravy can be made as hot or mild as you like so it suits most palates. Butter chicken is usually served with naan, roti, parathas or steamed rice.

The recipe i have used here is again from Camellia Panjabi's 50 Great Curries of India. This dish is really creamy and so tasty. What really surprised me was how rich this curry is, i have loved having Butter Chicken in restaurants but only when i got down to preparing it did i realise how rich it is...hence i'm against the idea of making this an every week chicken dish at home....So i'm bookmarking this recipe for guests.;)

Ingredients:

1. Chicken : 900g (use small pieces on the bone or boneless pieces)
2. Oil: 4-5 tbsp

For the marinade:

1. Yoghurt: 2 cups (full-fat or a carton of plain yoghurt)
2. Garlic Cloves: 6nos
3. Fresh Ginger: ½” piece
4. Red Chili Powder/ Paprika: 3/4 tsp
5. Coriander Powder: ¼ tsp
6. Cumin Powder: ½ tsp
7. Garam Masala Powder:
8. Salt: ½ tsp
9. Lime Juice:

For the makhani sauce:

1. Tomatoes: 700g
2. Kasuri Methi (dried fenugreek leaves): ½ tsp
3. Chilled Butter: 75g
4. Paprika: ½ tsp
5. Vinegar: few drops
6. Garam Masala Powder: ¼ tsp
7. Salt
8. Single Cream: 40g

Method:

First prepare the marinade

Step 1: Place the yoghurt in a piece of muslin and leave to hang to allow the whey to drip away ( I have read this is how you make “hung curd” but I didn’t do this as I thought the yogurt I’m using is thick enough).

Step 2: Purée the garlic and ginger in a blender (I just crushed them into a coarse paste using a good mortar and pestle) Add this and the marinade spices, salt and lime juice to the yoghurt and mix well.

Step 3: Make gashes in the chicken if using pieces on the bone. Marinate the chicken in the yoghurt mixture for at least 1 hour, preferably 2; for best results leave overnight.

Once this is done and you are ready to cook

Step 1: Heat the oil in a large, thick-bottomed skillet and put in the chicken with the marinade. Cover and cook over a low heat until done. Turn the chicken over during cooking.

Step 2: While the above is going on scald the tomatoes for the makhani sauce and peel off the skin. Reduce to a semi-pulp with a fork or potato masher.

Step 3: Put the tomato pulp into a frying pan and cook for 5 minutes or so until the liquid has evaporated slightly.

Step 4: Add the chilled butter and paprika; after the butter has melted, let it cook for just 1 minute. Taste… if it has no sourness; add a few drops of vinegar.

Step 5: Add the kasuri methi and garam masala powder and salt to taste.

Step 6: After 30 seconds, add the cream and stir. The sauce is now ready. Add in the chicken pieces and mix well. Serve immediately.

p.s. my snap for this dish has also gotten accepted on foodgawker....yeah yeah yippee yippee....;)

Our Everyday - Dal Tadka

2010-04-11T08:07:00.000+03:00

Dal refers to at least 60 kinds of dishes made from beans, peas or lentils. One of the most common dals in India is made from channa, the Indian chickpea. Another, made of lentils, is known as Masur. It is quick and easy to make and in raw form has a beautiful, orange-pinkish color, hence some people refer to it as red lentils.

I used to use Toor Dal before we moved to Bahrain, but once i started using Masur Dal, i realized this is much more lighter and easier to cook. Now we have Dal Tadka as part of our meal almost everyday. So here you go...

Ingredients:

Makes 4 servings

1. Masur Dal: 1 cup
2. Water: 4 cups
3. Onion: 1 small (Sliced or Chopped)
4. Cumin Seeds: 1/2 teaspoon
5. Turmeric Powder: 1/2 teaspoon
6. Ginger Garlic paste: 1 teaspoon (mix equal parts fresh ginger and fresh garlic)
7. Chili Powder: 1 teaspoon
8. Salt: 1 teaspoon
9. Tomatoes: 2nos (diced or chopped)
10.Green Chilies: 3nos (slit) or 2 nos (chopped)
11.Tamarind Paste: 2-3tsp (optional) or lemon juice (optional)
12.Garlic: 4 whole cloves, (sliced)
13.Dried Red Chilies: 3nos
14.Coriander Leaves: 2tablespoon (chopped)
15.Oil: 1 tablespoon

Method:

Step 1: Wash and drain dal. Boil dal in water with sliced onion, 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds, turmeric, ginger-and-garlic paste until lentils are soft (usually less than 10 minutes).

Step 2: Mash the mixture and add chili powder, salt, tomatoes, green chilies and tamarind (or lemon) juice. Boil until it is a thick soup (add water as necessary), about 1/2 hour.

Step 3: Set the dal aside and let cool.

Step 4: After it cools, blend the dal in the blender or food processor and pour into large saucepan. ( i avoid this step, i want my Dal as simple n' stress free as possible)

Step 5: Heat 1 tablespoon oil and brown the other 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds. Add sliced garlic and dried chilies. Brown and pour over dal, add the chopped coriander at this stage and stir. Now its ready to be served with rice or bread.

Dahi Aloo Curry

2010-04-08T14:33:00.000+03:00

With summer here, i'm trying to find news ways of adding Dahi/Yogurt into our meals, other than the south Indian dish Mooru Curry (buttermilk curry)that goes really well with rice and some fried fish or meat, i haven't tried many.

I came across this recipe by Monica Bhide, an engineer turned food writer, who is the author of Modern Spice: Inspired Indian Flavors for the Contemporary Kitchen. Read more at her blog A Life Of Spice. She mentions that the key to making this curry is to watch the heat when you add the yogurt. If your pan is too hot, the yogurt will curdle. Just lower the heat, add the yogurt slowly, and you will be rewarded with a fantastic curry. It's apparently served at Tabla restaurant in New York City, a contemporary Indian-French restaurant.

Ingredients:

1. Oil: 3tbsp
2. Mustard Seeds: 1 tbsp
3. Cumin Seeds: 1 tbsp
4. Red Chili: 1no (crushed)
5. Curry Leaves: 3 sprigs
6. Turmeric Powder:1/2 tbsp
7. Ginger (fresh): 2-inch piece (peeled and minced)
8. Yellow Onion: 1 small (peeled and thinly sliced)
9. Serrano Green Chili Peppers: 2 (fresh)
10.Tomatoes: 2 Small (diced)
11.Whole Milk Yogurt: 1 liter
12.Water: 1 liter
13.Potatoes (fingerling potatoes): 10nos (boiled n' cubed)
14.Salt to taste
15.Pinch of sugar

Method:

Step 1: Heat a large stew pot over moderate heat and add the oil after the pot is hot.

Step 2: When the oil shimmers, add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds pop, add cumin, red chili and curry leaves.

Step 3: Cook for 1 minute, then add ginger and turmeric and cook for another 20 seconds.

Step 4: Add onion and green chilies and saute for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for 2 more minutes.

Step 5: In a large bowl, whisk the yogurt and water together.

Step 6: Turn the heat to low. Let the pan cool down for about 5 minutes. Add the yogurt and water to the pot along with the potatoes. Simmer for 20 minutes stirring constantly. Be sure the heat is low or the yogurt will curdle.

Step 7: Season with salt and a pinch of sugar.

The only changes i had made to the above recipe were, I used the red Indian onions instead of yellow ones, i didn't have any fingerling potatoes, i used the regular ones and i used the regular Indian green chilies. Also, i didn't add this much water.

Hot White Chocolate

2010-04-06T16:29:00.000+03:00

My attempts at making Hot Cross Buns for this Easter failed miserably, it's depressing to even talk about it. So just to prove that some does turn out right when i bake, i tried BC's Chocolate Swirl Cake again...and came out so nice and soft. I pinned up a smile back on my face. :)

I love Hot Chocolate from almost everywhere, even the ones we get in train stations back home....but my favourite has to be from Columbus Cafe. (a special note.... i don't like the ones from Starbucks or Costa Coffee.) So when i came across this recipe i thought, i just have to give this a try....so here you go...

Ingredients:

1. White Chocolate: 175g
2. Milk: 1.5 ltr
3. Coffee Essence: 1tsp (or Instant coffee powder: 2tsp)
4. Orange Flavoured Liqueur: 2tsp (optional)

For Serving:

1. Whipped Cream
2. Ground Cinnamon (optional)

Method:

Step 1: Finely chop the white chocolates.

Step 2: Boil the milk in a heavy saucepan and bring it to boil (bubbles will form around the edge of the pan)

Step 3: Add the chopped whitechocolates, coffee essence or powder and the orange flavoured liqueur, if using. Stir until the chocolate has melted.

Step 4: Divide the hot chocolate among 4 coffee mugs. Top each with a rosette of whipped cream and a sprinkling of ground cinnamon, if using. Serve immediately.

I had to do my bit n' deviate a little....i didn't have any whipped cream so decided i could use some froth instead...so after step 3 i waited a while n' poured it into a blender and gave it a whisk....i mean i didn't do it for more than 30secs...they say pouring hot liquid into the mixer/blender is not at all recommended...so the next time i try this (in a situation like this)i will use a hand blender.

Lohbia aur Khumbi (Black Eyed Peas with Mushrooms)

2010-04-05T16:18:00.000+03:00

Black-eyed peas are called Lohbia in Hindi. Combined with tomatoes and khumbi (mushrooms), lobhia can make a very hearty vegetarian meal. I tried this for the first time and really liked it. This recipe is from the book "Indian Cooking" by Madhur Jaffrey.

Pulses are a part of our everyday food. I used to not like it as much when i started cooking. But now, truth be told, even i enjoy it a lot. Started off with Punjabi Rajma Curry (Red Kidney Beans curry) n' then i started using Moong Dal, Masoor Daal (red lentils), Toor Dal, Black Eyed Peas & Brown n' White Channa regularly. Where i don't like non vegetarian food, RJ just loves it, n' where i love vegetarian food, RJ just hates it. So we had to find a balance somewhere and thankfully legumes came to our rescue. So here you go...

Ingredients:

1. Black-eyed peas: 1 cup
2. Tomatoes: 1cup(chopped)
3. Oil : 1/2 cup (i used only 3tbsp)
4. Cinnamon stick: 1 inch piece
5. Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
6. Onion: 1 cup(chopped)
7. Garlic: 5 cloves (diced)
8. Khumbi (mushrooms): 1 cup (sliced)
9. Coriander Powder: 2 tsp
10.Cumin Powder: 1tsp
11.Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp
12.Cayenne: 1/4 teaspoon (i didn't have this so i added nearly a tsp of kashmiri chili powder instead)
13.Coriander/Cilantro Leaves: 2tbsp
14. Salt: as required or 1tsp

Method:

Step 1: The first thing you must do is soak the lobhia in water over night or for 7-8hours. This will make the beans soft and manageable.

Step 2: Then, boil pre-soaked lobhia for 40 minutes or until very soft. (i cooked them in a pressure cooker instead for 15-20 minutes on medium flame, i added salt along with this)

Step 3:Then, briefly boil tomatoes, peel off skin, and chop into large chunks.

Step 4:Heat oil in a kadai (frying pan) and add cumin and cinnamon. Soon after, add garlic and onions.

Step 5: Once the onions turn golden brown add khumbi (mushrooms) and fry for 5 minutes.

Step 6: Add the tomatoes, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, and cayenne. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, till the oil separates. (i added the powders first to ensure that the masala is cooked well and only then did i add the tomatoes.)

Step 7: Add the cooked lohbia to the above stir it to mix well and leave it covered for another 15minutes. (the water in which the lohbia was cooked can be added along with this according to the consistency of the final gravy that you require.)

Check for salt n' add more if required and add the chopped cilantro, stir well and let it sit on low heat for another 5 minutes and it's ready. This is best served hot with rice, chappathi or Naan...

It's only recently that i read about the event My Legume Love Affair and i'm sending this post for the 22nd edition of the event hosted by Ruchikacooks.

Also, sending this to the Vegetable Marathon Event- Beans hosted by Anita's Kitchen.

Chettinad Egg Kurma

2010-04-01T16:19:00.000+03:00

I have been making my Egg Masala Dry for what seems like forever and last week i decided it's high time i tried something else with hard boiled eggs. I have the book '50 Best Curries of India' by Camellia Panjabi and decided to give her recipe Egg Kurma Chettinad a try. She mentions that this recipe is adapted from the home of Mr.A.Ramaswamy, who is the Raja of Chettinad. I expected it to be far more spicier than it actually turned out to be, i think it's coz i used Kashmiri Chili Powder instead of the normal chili powder. But this recipe is definitely something i'm gonna treasure.

Ingredients:

1. Eggs (hard boiled): 6nos
2. Coriander Powder: 3tsp
3. Chili Powder or Paprika: 1 1/2tsp (i used kashmiri chili powder)
4. Fennel Seeds: 1tsp
5. Cumin Seeds: 1tsp
6. Turmeric Powder: 1/2tsp
7. Fresh Ginger: 1/2inch piece
8. Garlic Cloves: 2nos
9. Coconut Milk: 200ml (she mentions that you can alternatively use 100gms of grated or desiccated coconut instead.i used ready coconut milk as i find it easy)
10. Oil: 2tbsp
11. Fenugreek Seeds: 1/2tsp
12. Fennel seeds: 1/2tsp (second lot)
13. Cinnamon Sticks: 2 inch piece
14. Onions: 225gms (finely chopped)
15. Tomatoes: 225gms (finely chopped)
16. Salt: as per taste
17. Lime Juice: of 1/2 a lime (i didn't use this)

Method:

Step 1: Peel the eggs and halve them lengthways

Step 2: Put coriander powder, chili powder, fennel and cumin seeds, turmeric powder, ginger and garlic into a blender with 2 tbsp water and puree into a thick paste.

Step 3: If you are using coconut instead of milk, put the coconut into a blender with 400ml of warm water. Liquidise, then strain the coconut milk and set aside.

Step 4: Heat the oil in a kadai/wok and fry the fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds and the cinnamon for 10seconds. Add the onion and fry until lightly coloured. Add the spice paste and saute for 7 minutes. (It will darken in colour since it contains a lot of coriander.) Add a few drops of water if it sticks to the bottom of the kadai. Then add the tomatoes and saute for another 2-3minutes.

Step 5: Add 600ml (1/2pint) of warm water with salt to taste, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, to make a smooth gravy. just before serving, add the coconut milk and bring to boil. Add the lime juice, taste and add more salt if necessary, and gently lay in the hard boiled eggs with the yellow facing upwards. Carefully scoop into a serving dish.

If you want to freeze this curry, omit the coconut and eggs, but add lime juice and salt and freeze. Then use it to make egg curry as and when you need, topping it with coconut milk at the time of reheating.

I deviated from the above recipe only to the point where i boiled the eggs along while i was browning the onions and also made the paste in the blender in the meantime. I added the halved eggs only in the serving dish instead of just before serving. Like i said this recipe is definitely a keeper.

p.s: this is my first photograph that is accepted at (the other famous food porn website-) TasteSpotting. I'm thrilled!

Mushroom Ragout On Garlic Toast

2010-03-31T18:31:00.000+03:00

Pronounced mushroom ragooo, is really an easy dish, and it is so tasty. We love our mushrooms in any form. This was one of the things i made for our valentine's day dinner this year and had forgotten to update it here. When i was going through my food snaps folder i came across this snap and scolded myself for not posting this sooner. So here you go...

Ingredients:

1. Mushrooms- 2 pounds ( I used the regular button mushrooms)
2. Butter- 2tbsp
3. Salt and Pepper- ½ tsp each
4. Sherry Wine- 1/3rd of a cup
5. Chicken Stock- ½ a cup
6. Garlic (Chopped)- 2 cloves
7. Thyme- 1tbsp
8. Heavy Cream- 1/2cup

Method:

Step 1: Melt butter in pan, when it starts to froth, add the sliced mushrooms to the pan along with salt and pepper. (this will make the water come out, put it on high flame for the water to cook up completely)

Step 2: Add the chopped garlic.

Step 3: Once the garlic is cooked, add the wine and the chicken stock, stir for a while.

Step 4: Add half the thyme to this and stir for a minute and add the cream. Stir for another minute or so and it’s ready.

I deviated from the original recipe a little, I didn’t have sherry wine with me and added a little caramelized sugar (2tsp)instead. But it was really good. Serve it with garlic toast n’ you would just love it.

From the snap here, you can make out that my garlic toast is really an improvised version of an actual garlic toast...but chef John from whom i got the recipe for Mushroom Ragout said that the easiest n' freshest garlic toast at home is to make some toast, spread a little soft butter on it n' rub some fresh crushed garlic on it...n' voilà your garlic toast is ready. ;)

Gajar Ka Halwa

2010-03-31T11:18:00.000+03:00

I didn’t have anything to do on the last Saturday afternoon (a Sunday afternoon equivalent in the Middle East) and decided to make something sweet. This dish is so easy to make, plus I had some Khoya left over from making Phirni and wanted to finish it. I still have some more left over and will have to hunt down recipes to use them. If you have some recipes using khoya, please do let me know, i would love to try them. :)

I came across the recipe to make Loki (Gourd) halwa as part of a shahi cooking show. Forget making RJ eat it even I don’t like Loki, so I decided I’ll just be a plain jane n’ try Gajar Ka Halwa. I used the recipe from my Nita Mehta's cookbook. Honestly, this one caught me by surprise. I didn’t think it would taste this nice, maybe it was coz of how fresh the carrots were. Anyways, do try it…

Ingredients:

1. Carrot: ½ kg (shredded)
2. Milk: 1 cup
3. Sugar: ¼ cup (I used brown sugar instead n’ hence had used ½ cup)
4. Ghee: 2tbsp
5. Almonds: 5-6 (shredded)
6. Raisins: 10 (I didn’t add them)
7. Cardamom: 3-4 (powdered)
8. Khoya: 100gms (grated)

Method:

Step 1: Boil one cup milk in a clean kadai/wok.

Step 2: Add grated carrots and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, till milk dries.

Step 3: Add the almonds and raisins. Stir for a minute or so.

Step 4: Add sugar. Cook till the mixture turns dry again. (I didn’t dry it completely as I thought it might be nice to leave it a little wet n’ gooey)

Step 5: Add ghee and stir it for another 10minutes on low flame.

Step 6: Add the grated khoya and mix well.

This can be served hot or cold.

I'm sending this for the event Left Over Delicacies hosted by Daisy Blue of Spicy Lounge as i have used the left over khoya from making Phirni...:)

Chocolate Truffles with Orange Essence

2010-03-30T09:47:00.000+03:00

Actually, i'm being kinda cheeky here, this shouldn't be a separate blog, but i wanted to post the snap separately n' hence decided to make this a new post instead of adding it with my Chocolate Ganache recipe.

With an exotic name like "Chocolate Truffle" one would expect the recipe to be complicated, i know i did. But it's so easy n' simple. Simply put, chocolate truffles are made with a Chocolate Ganache center coated in chocolate or cocoa powder. Now that i'm putting up the recipe here, i'm thinking i should've tried some variations of this...maybe the next time i make it...i'll just do that. Like i had mentioned before, they say your truffles will be as good as the chocolate you are using. So get the best you can buy.

Ingredients:

1. Heavy Cream: 1/2 cup
2. Dark Chocolate: 1/2 cup (chopped)
3. Salt: a small pinch
4. Orange Essence : 2 drops
5. Soft Butter : 1tsp (unsalted)
6. Cocoa Powder: 3 tbsp
7. Chopped Nuts: 3tsp (i added crushed almonds)

Method:

Step 1: Put your chopped chocolate into a bowl.

Step 2: Add cream into a pan and heat it over medium fire and as soon as it comes to a simmer quickly pour it over your chopped chocolate. (Do not boil it, or it will spoil the cream) Make sure all of your chocolate is covered with the cream and just let it sit there for a minute.

Step 3: Add the soft butter and whisk it with the chocolate and cream together.Keep stirring, till you get a thick n' glossy chocolate sauce.

Step 4: Add a pinch of salt, orange essence and the chopped nuts. Give it a little stir. (minus the nuts your chocolate ganache is ready )

Step 5: Serve it into a dish and pop this into the fridge for 2hours to set.

Step 6: Take this out of the fridge (depending on the room temperature) keep it outside at least for 15-20mins before you are ready to make the truffles.

Step 7: In a pan (with slightly raised corners), add the cocoa powder. Scoop out the chocolate mixture using an ice cream scooper to get those perfect ball shapes or alternatively just use a spoon n' mould it into a round shape as best as you can. Keep them in the pan with the cocoa powder and lightly shake the pan from side to side allowing the balls to roll all over n' get a nice coat of cocoa powder n' it's ready.

You can even add a dash of Brandy (along with the orange essence) to get an extra kick. Roll the chocolate balls in a crushed biscuit mixture, or crushed mixture of nuts to get a different look instead of just cocoa...serve it immediately.

Banana Bread- my first baking adventure

2010-03-29T17:32:00.000+03:00

My first baking adventure, so to speak has to be this. I have never tried baking other than with Betty Crocker mix, i have never found the need to bake from scratch when BC has such an easy n' good cake mix made available. Well, all that changed when Ruby my friend baked some Banana Bread n' got it to office. I just loved how simple n' undemanding the bread/cake felt. What she gave us was more like a cake than a bread.

But i was inspired n' i just had to give it a try. The recipe i'm using is by a Pakistani cooking expert- Shireen Anwar. It is so simple, i baked it twice already. Mine came out exactly like a bread. Gave it to friends from office n' they said they liked it. We had it with some hot coffee in the morning n' it tasted even better...as usual i made this before heading off to work with little time to spare for a creative photograph. Pardon, the crinkly look on the side, it is coz of the baking paper i had used to line the baking pan which on my second try i realised was not even necessary. :(

Ingredients:

1. Banana: 3nos (medium)(mash it into a thick paste)- use the extra ripe ones if possible
2. Flour: 2 cups
3. Baking Soda: 1/4 tsp (i didn't have any with me, so i didn't use this)
4. Baking Powder: 1tbsp (since i didn't add baking soda i used 1 1/4 tbsp of baking powder)
5. Vanilla Essence: 1tsp
6. Oil: 1/2 cup (i used sunflower oil)
7. Caster Sugar: 3/4cup (i used brown sugar instead n' hence took 1cup)
8. Eggs: 2nos
9. Walnuts: 1 cup (broken/crushed)
10 Yogurt: 1/2 cup
11.Butter: 1tsp (mainly to grease the pan, add the extra bit into the mix)

Method:

Step 1: Grease a baking pan with butter and keep it aside. Pre heat the oven on 180°C.

Step 2: Mix all the ingredients other than flour, baking powder and walnuts. Beat everything together at a low speed. Don't over beat just enough to mix well.

Step 3: Add the flour n' baking powder in portions into the above mixing it at the same time to avoid any lumps to form.

Step 4: Add the walnuts and mix well.

Cooking time should be 45-50mins depending up on your oven. If required, check only after 35minutes to see if it's already done. Since i used brown sugar it wasn't very sweet and i liked it that way. So if you prefer your cakes sweet, use caster sugar itself.

All thanks to An Open Book (who let me know about this event) i'm gonna send in my first entry for an event. The event is Bake Off and it's hosted by Champa from Stories from an Indian Kitchen. Don't know if my entry will qualify, but no harm in trying i guess. :)

Rogan Josh

2010-03-29T12:54:00.000+03:00

I have never cooked mutton in my kitchen before n’ in all honesty can’t even say I have eaten mutton. RJ eats it, but very rarely. We had been to a barbecue last weekend, our first time by the beach n’ RJ n’ Jeff did some novice fishing too, RJ caught his first fish (one of the smallest I have seen getting caught fishing) but we thoroughly enjoyed the night. In retrospect I’m thinking I should’ve taken more snaps of the food served that day, but I haven’t taken many snaps. We barbecued prawns, tofu (for me, didn’t get paneer), mutton n’ chicken n’ for the sides had a sour cream potato salad, couscous salad and some bread. It was a feast considering we were by the beach. Thankfully it was not windy or hot, the temperature was just right.

As usual I’m digressing, what I wanted to say was RJ just loved the mutton chops that were barbecued that night n’ this weekend when we were doing our shopping, I told him maybe one of these days I should try making something with mutton too. He enthusiastically told me to buy some mutton n’ try something the same day, I was thrilled to the say the least. So I got a packet (this was the least complicated I thought, as I know next to nothing about how to buy mutton) of fresh Pakistani Mutton Chops (I had to remove the fat before cooking).

You know what I found most surprising when I was cooking the meat? The distinct aroma, for some reason I have always associated a raw n’ strong smell to mutton, but that wasn’t the case at all, I actually enjoyed the smell n’ RJ finishing off four pieces in one go....that made me feel great. :) That is also one reason why the snap looks the way it does, I forgot to take snaps once I finished cooking, it was already so late. :( I literally had to make RJ wait before his second helping to get this shot. Another recipe I followed from Nita Mehta’s book…so here you go…

Ingredients:

1. Mutton: 500 gms (you needn’t use chops)
2. Ghee/ Oil: 7 tbsp (this is what the recipe calls for but I used only half of this)
3. Cloves: 3nos
4. Cinnamon Stick: 1 inch piece
5. Black Cardamom: 2nos
6. Bay Leaf: 2nos
7. Asafoetida (hing): ½ tsp (dissolved in 1tsp water)
8. Fennel Seeds: 1 ½ tsp (powdered)
9. Dry ginger powder: ½ tsp (I didn’t have any so didn’t use this)
10. Ginger Paste: 1tsp
11. Onions: 4nos (ground to paste)- I never grind onion in a mixer, I never like the taste when I do this. So instead I finely chop the onions and fry them well.
12. Red Chili Powder: 1 ¾ tsp ( I used Kashmiri Chili powder considering the dish is a Kashmiri specialty)
13. Salt: as per taste or 1 ½ tsp
14. Black Pepper Powder: ½ tsp
15. Green Cardamom: 7nos (powdered)
16. Yogurt: ¾ cup (the recipe says ‘optional’, but I did use it) beat well till smooth.
17. Water: as required
18. Saffron: dissolved in water (I didn’t use this)

Method:

Step 1: Heat ghee/oil in a cooker. Add cloves, cinnamon, black cardamom and bay leaf. Fry for 1-2 minutes.

Step 2: Add the mutton pieces and hing water. Fry for 15-20mins till well fried. The mutton should become brownish in colour.

Step 3: Heat a little oil in another kadai and add the chopped onions and fry till lightly brown and add fennel powder, dry ginger powder, ginger paste, red chili powder, salt and pepper and sauté for a minute more. Allow the masala to cook.

Step 4: Add the above to the mutton in the cooker. Stir for a minute or 2 and reduce heat and add powdered cardamom and curd. Keep stirring till it boils.

Step 5: Add ½ cup water. (the book calls for only half a cup of water but if you want the dish to have more gravy, I think you should add at least 1cup) Close the cooker and allow it to give 2 whistles. By now the mutton should have become tender.

Step 6: Open the cooker once the pressure drops. Keep on low heat for another 10minutes (especially if you think there is more gravy than you need). Add saffron and simmer for another 2-3minutes and serve hot.

Phirni

2010-03-28T16:09:00.000+03:00

I have never been a big fan of Phirni...but RJ just loves it. On the first night in Bhopal during this vacation, we had gone to Jahan Numa Palace in the night to have some treats from their cafe....this is one place i have to go every time we go to Bhopal. We ordered for Phirni as our dessert n' it was the best i have ever had. You know how it is served in matkas (earthen jugs/pots), it's just so Indian...n' when i came across this recipe last week i just had to give it a try. But i didn't have any matkas with me n' had to use my ramekins instead. The ingredients are a little more complex than i normally use, but i preferred this recipe to the condensed milk recipes available online.

Ingredients

1. Milk: 500ml
2. Rice: 1/2 cup
3. Khoya: 1/2cup
4. Sugar: 1 1/2cup
5. Milk: 1 ltr
6. Almond: 1/2cup (crushed)
7. Cardamom Powder: 1/2tsp
8. Kewra: few drops

Method

Step 1: Soak rice in 500ml milk

Step 2: Boil milk adding sugar.

Step 3: Grind the soaked rice and milk (rough grind not in a paste form)

Step 4: Once the milk is boiled, ground rice n' milk mixture to this n' let it cook for a while.

Step 5: Before it thickens too much, add khoya and cardamom powder into this and let it cook for a while. (thicken it)

Step 6: Add chopped almonds and kewra essence.

Step 7: Serve it directly into matkas or into individual serving bowls & refrigerate before serving.

Getting the correct consistency is important. I think i should have thickened it a little more than what you can see here. But the taste was rewarding, so i was happy.

This is my first photo that has gotten accepted on a food porn website..FoodGawker, look here . I'm thrilled to say the least. Thank you FG...;D

Finally...this image is accepted at TasteSpotting too....Oh Bliss!!!

Chicken Bharta

2010-03-27T18:07:00.000+03:00

Honestly, I wasn't sure about the snap i'm putting up. But the recipe is good and turns out really well. So i couldn't resist putting it up. I was so late for work, there was just no time for my average effort at creativity. Maybe the next time i make this dish, i'll have some more time for a better snap...:)

So coming back to the recipe, i feel like i'm rediscovering 'Nita Mehta' all over again, i mean i have had her cook book with me for over 5yrs n' have taken it out rarely. So anyways, thats my mistake, now that i have taken it out, i'm finding such really nice recipes in there. I had separated the boneless pieces when i was making my Chicken Karahi and used those pieces to make this dish. So here you go...

Ingredients:

1. Chicken (boneless): 500gms (cubed)
2. Onions: 3 nos (chopped)
3. Saboot Dhania (coriander seeds): 1 ½ tbsp
4. Dry Red Chili: 2nos
5. Ginger: 1 ½ inch piece (chopped)
6. Garlic: 10 flakes (chopped)
7. Tomatoes: 3nos (chopped)
8. Tomato: 1no (puree in a mixer)
9. Garam Masala: 1tsp
10. Coriander Powder: 1tsp
11. Amchoor: ½ tsp
12. Green Chilies: 2nos (whole)
13. Coriander: 2tbsp (chopped)
14. Kasthuri Methi: 2tbsp
15. Oil: 5tbsp
16. Salt: to taste

Method:

Step 1: Put coriander seeds and red chilies on a tawa. Keep on fire and roast lightly till it just starts to change color. Do not make it too brown.

Step2: Crush the coriander seeds to split the seeds. Break the red chilies with hands into small bits. Keep aside.

Step3: Heat oil in a wok and add chopped onions, cook it till golden brown.

Step 4: Add crushed coriander seeds, ginger and garlic. Stir for a minute or so.

Step 5: Add chicken and stir fry for 4-5minutes on medium heat.

Step 6: Add chopped, pureed tomatoes and red chilies to the above and cook for another 4-5mins.

Step 7: Add salt, garam masala, dhania powder and amchoor. Mix well. Cover and cook on low heat for 6-8minutes.

Step 8: Lower the heat, stir, add whole green chilies, coriander leaves and kasthuri methi leaves. Cook for another 4-5minutes or till done and serve hot.

Darbar Ki Karahi

2010-03-23T10:26:00.000+03:00

Ok...i know i had declared my previous chicken curry recipe to be the easiest ever. But trust me this is equally easy...and what i loved the most about this recipe is that (apart from the fancy Indian name that is) the texture of the gravy...it looks like it's straight from an authentic Indian restaurant. Karahi Chicken is simply put chicken cooked with tomatoes and cilantro. Honestly, one of the best chicken recipes i have ever tried, my sister has already made it thrice...well the recipe sounds so simple you have to try it...:)..so here you go....

Ingredients:

1. Chicken: 500gms
2. Tomato: 500gms
3. Onion: 1no (sliced)
4. Kasturi Methi Leaves: 1 tbsp
5. Ginger Garlic Paste: 1tbsp (preferably fresh)
6. Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp
7. Chili Powder: 2tsp (i used kashmiri chili powder)
8. Salt: as per taste or 1tsp
9. Green Chilies: 5nos (3 whole and 2 slipt in the middle)
10.Coriander Leaves/Cilantro: 1bunch
11.All spice Powder: 1/2 tsp (i used garam masala)
12.Lemon: as per taste
13.Oil: 1/2 cup
14. Water: 1/2 cup (use more according to how much gravy you want)
14.Ginger: cut into thin strips for garnishing (optional)

Method:

Step 1: Deep fry chicken until it cooks a little. Roughly 10-12mins.

Step2: Fry onions till brown, add methi leaves (on law flame) add turmeric powder, chili powder, salt, ginger garlic paste. Allow the masala to cook well.

Step 3: Add the chopped tomatoes (add just a little water if required)

Step 4: Add the chicken pieces to the above. Add water and cook for 15 minutes covered.

Step 5: By now you should get a nice rich gravy.Add the green chilies, coriander leaves & all spice powder/garam masala. Stir well, leave it on the flame for another minute or 2 and its ready.

Squeeze the lemon juice over the curry just before serving otherwise it will spoil the taste. :) Best served with Ghee Rice, Pilaf or any Roti or Chapathi...

Khasta Bhindi

2010-03-23T10:06:00.000+03:00

I guess it's kind of safe to say this feeling of wanting to update my blog with some interesting recipe gives me a feeling close to preparing for an important exam. Today morning i couldn't sleep well and woke up really early like 4.30am n'tried to get some more sleep....by 5.30 i was wide awake and decided to get up do some cooking before i head to work...i prefer to finish my cooking in the morning, that way when i reach home in the evening i can laze around....:)

So i was going to make some Bhindi Stir fry (i know boring! right??) yeah anyways...that was on my menu for myself and some Chicken Karahi for RJ...then i remembered Nish from Look who's Cooking too had posted a Tarla Dalal recipe for Masala Bhindi the other day...i also remembered there was something similar by Nita Mehta in her book "Learn to cook with Nita Mehta"...decided to give it a go...came out well but i can't seem to make out with what should i be having these....:(...i had them with chapathi n' i wasn't sure that's how it is meant to be eaten...if you have some suggestions, please do let me know....Oh by the way...i know this is another fancy name but 'Khasta' actually just means 'flaky'...it's just that i would prefer the name "Khasta Bhindi" to "Flaky Bhindi" anyday...;)

Ingredients:

1. Bhindi: 250gms
2. Cornflour: 2tbsp
3. Ajwain(Carom seeds): 1tsp
4. Turmeric Powder: 1/4 tsp
5. Chaat Masala: 2tsp
6. Chili Powder: 1/2 tsp
7. Ginger: 1tsp (crushed)
8. Gram Flour: 1/2 cup
9. Salt: to taste or 1/2 tsp
10. Lemon Juice: 1tbsp
11. Oil: 5tbsp (add a little more later if required)

Method:

Step 1: Wash and pat dry the bhindi

Step 2: Cut the head and not the pointed end. Slit each of the bhindi into two pieces lenghtwise.

Step 3: Heat the oil in a wok for frying.

Step 4: Mix all the ingredients, corn flour, ajwain, turmeric powder, chaat masala, chili powder, ginger, gram flour and salt with a very little water. The batter should be really thick.

Step 5: Sprinkle the lemon juice to coat the mixture onto the slit bhindi. Do not keep it aside, fry immediately till crisp.

The coating of the mixture and frying can be done in 2 batches. Once fried drain on paper napkins and serve hot.

Chocolate Ganache

2010-03-15T22:14:00.000+03:00

The simplicity of this as always was the what caught my eye.....Ganache is chocolate with heavy cream, and it has a very creamy texture. When you pour ganache over a cake, it just flows like the river on top of a gorgeous cake.

Ingredient:

1. Heavy Cream: 1/2 cup
2. Cooking Chocolate: 1/2 cup (chopped)
3. Salt: a small pinch
4. Vanilla : 2 drops

Method:

Step 1: Put your chopped chocolate into a bowl.

Step 2: Add cream into a pan and heat it over medium fire and as soon as it comes to a simmer quickly pour it over your chopped chocolate. Make sure all of your chocolate is covered with the cream and just let it sit there for a minute.

Step 3: Whisk the chocolate and cream together.Keep stirring, till you get a thick n' glossy chocolate sauce. They say the ganache is only as good as the chocolate you'll be using. So choose your chocolate well..:)

Step 4: Add the salt and the flavouring to the chocolate mixture at this stage. You can also use different flavouring like orange, mint etc instead of vanilla...i used vanilla coz that was all i had.

Step 5: Let is cool and thicken a little n' it's ready for you to glaze over your cakes n' cup cakes.

If you have extra, simply store it, refrigerate and warm it in the microwave to use it again.

Cucumber Raita

2010-03-15T22:01:00.000+03:00

I have always been fond of Curd…..buttermilk happens to be my favourite drink….yeah at this day n’ age when women all over are talking about drinks like cosmopolitan, margarita, bloody mary n’ sex on the beach…being their favorite, I’m still, true to my form, saying I prefer a nice homemade buttermilk….:D..just imagine it being served on a hot n’ humid day….wah! my mouth is watering… as usual I’m digressing…so like I was saying in the 3 years since I started cooking…I have made raita often….but there was always something missing…..it wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be….then recently I had it at a North Indian restaurant here named “Bombay Chopatti”…n’ I realized one of the key ingredient is Cumin Powder…. maybe there are ways to make it even better n’ there are more key ingredients I don’t know about… but for now I’m really thrilled about how good this tastes. It’s best served with biryani n’ pilaf.

Ingredients:
1. Cucumber- 2nos (sliced into medium sized pieces)
2. Onion- 1no (sliced thin)
3. Tomato- 1no (deseeded n’ chopped)
4. Green Chili- 1-2nos (deseeded n’ chopped)
5. Yogurt/Curd- 100-150gms
6. Cumin/Jeera Powder- 1/4tsp
7. Water- as preferred (I use very little)
8. Salt- as per taste

Method:
Step 1: Mix sliced cucumber, onion, tomato n’ green chili add salt n’ toss this. Deseeding the tomatoes seem to ensure a nice flavor instead of strong taste…n’ that’s why I do it this way…:D

Step 2: Whip the curd into a nice smooth paste and add this to the above.

Step 3: Add as much water as you want the thickness to be n’ garnish it with the cumin powder n’ refrigerate n’ mix this only just before serving…

Calzone Inspired Chapathi

2010-03-10T10:49:00.000+03:00

Yesterday i was supposed to make 'Calzone'. I came across this recipe for the same on Sanjeev Kapoor's show in Star Plus or is it Sony??? anyways...i didn't get to watch the whole program...but i decided to give it a try. I wasn't sure about the measurements n' decided to IMPROVISE. I feel really silly saying it out loud here...but i have to anyways....just so that i don't make this mistake again....after kneading the dough...i kept in covered in the fridge for 4-5hrs...:(...can you believe that? n' when i reached back home last night i went to the fridge (all excited)to check on the dough n' to see how much it has risen...n' i found this really hard ball in my greased bowl....n' i was so disappointed...(it still didn't click!!!)....

i went on to make Chapati n' Egg Masala for dinner n' while rolling the chapati, it struck me...why don't i try making a Calzone inspired chapatis...i wasn't sure what i needed but i wanted to give it a try anyway...but first i said to myself let me finish making dinner coz what if this one doesn't turn out nice...boy i was in for a surprise alright...:)...so here you...judge for yourself...n' did i say...this recipe is really simple too...;)

Ingredients:

1. Wheat Dough- 2 balls (the size of golf balls)
2. Onion- 2 medium (sliced)
3. Mushrooms- 3-4 (sliced)
4. Broccoli- 3-4 florets (sliced)
5. Oregano- ½ tsp ( i used dry oregano leaves)
6. Black Pepper (fresh)- ½ tsp (crushed)- (add more if you want it spicier)
7. Salt
8. Butter- 2tsp (since i was trying this for the first time...i wanted some help here n' added around 3tsp :)
9. Goat Cheese- 1tsp for each (optional i guess...i added it coz i had some left over)
10. Mozzarella Cheese- 1tsp for each (shredded)...(add more if you want..;)

Method:

Step 1: Heat a pan n' melt butter in it (till it foams) n' add the sliced onions to this. Sauté till the onion are a golden brown (n' this smells divine ;)

Step 2: Add the sliced mushrooms to this. Let it cook for a while. (A little amount of liquid should ooze out from the mushrooms) Stir it till it shrinks back into the mushrooms...

Step 3: Add the sliced broccoli to the above. It will change it's color to a dark green in about 3-4mins n' that's how we get to know it's done...

Step 4: Add Oregano, black pepper n' salt and its ready...

Step 5: Roll out your Chapati n' fill a half of the circle with this filling, add the soft goat cheese, n' top the filling with some shredded cheese.... leaving a little area on the edge to fold n' close the chapati. Fold it into a half circle n' close the corners by pressing it with your fingers or a fork.

Step 6: Heat a pan n' let the above filled chapati cook on low fire. Cook both the sides n' the edges...in total for at least 8-10mins to ensure the insides are cooked. Spread a little butter on both the sides and it will take on a golden brown shade...n' it's ready...

As you can see i basically used whatever i had at home as a filling...i think you can use just about anything for a filling n' serve it as snacks for kids n' they would love it....:)...also since this was an experiment i made only enough for two. Please increase the measurements if you want to make more...:)

p.s: at the end of all this i saw the dough i had kept aside to throw had become so soft n' it was beginning to rise....how did i not remember that the dough needs to be left in a warm place for it to rise??? instead of inside the fridge??

A special thanks to Nish from Look Who's Cooking Too for giving me this badge (my first one ever...didn't get any even when i was in school ;)...i'm truly touched...i want to pass it on to....malluspice (one of the first blogs i started reading), cookingandme (i came across her blog when i wanted to learn more about food photography) and mariasmenu (coz she makes cooking look simple, fun and you can easily make out she loves what she is doing). Gals....please grab the award, brag about it, display it on you blog and link it back to whoever awarded it to you, share 10 things about yourself and pass on the award to anyone you like.

Now for 10things about me....i truly had a tough time doing this....which was strange considering how i love to talk....:)

1.I don’t like every day cooking. I look upon it as a chore. I mean I hate to cook when the reasons are ‘hunger’ or ‘it’s meal time’n’ reasons like that. But it’s for the sheer pleasure of it I get really excited about cooking.

2.The main attraction for blogging these days seems to have something to do with the new camera we have. I love taking photographs and making things/people look beautiful.

3.I’m a non vegetarian skewed towards veg food more than non veg food :)

4.I don’t like fish…I love crab, prawns, mussels n’ occasionally like fried pieces of fish but I’m over particular about how it should be.

5.I don’t crave for sweet food, but I love (more like worship) spicy food. I can eat pickle with just about anything.

6.My family is my strength.

7.If it weren’t for the strict upbringing (by my father…which I hated at the time) I would have never had the strength of character I have today.

8.The thing I enjoy the most about Bahrain is my work place….for the first time in my life I have a boss with a sense of humour.

9.The place I earned my independence was Bangalore, so for me the 8yrs I spent there will forever be a highlight of my life. I will always love that place more than any other place.

10.Something I enjoy more than anything else in the world has to be shopping. It gives me an adrenaline rush like no other….i (almost) can’t resist anything that’s on sale n’ especially if I think it’s a steal for that price.

Carrot Ularthiyathu or Carrot Stir Fry

2010-03-08T19:14:00.000+03:00

I don’t use carrots in any of my every day recipes, I mean not in sambars, not in thorans, not in fried rice….you get the picture!....its mainly coz my husband will immediately complain about the dish turning sweet coz of that. But give it to him fresh in a salad n’ it will be over in minutes….so we normally have it in our salads…but my veggie food quest gave me the idea to make this today I had it with chapathi. You can have this with rice, sambar/rasam n’ its good too. The best part as usual is how easy it is to make :)

Ingredients:

1. Carrots - 3-4 (sliced)
2. Onion - 1no - medium (sliced)
3. Green Chilies- 1-2nos (split into 2)
4. Red Chili Powder – ½ tsp
5. Turmeric Powder- ¼ tsp
6. Garam Masala- ½ tsp
7. Black Pepper- 2-3 crushed (optional)
8. Salt
9. Mustard Seeds - ½ tsp
10. Curry Leaves- 8-10
11. Oil- 2 tbsp
12. Water

Method:

Step 1: In a wok, heat oil, add mustard seeds n’ curry leaves. Add the sliced onions and green chilies and fry it till the onion turns pink.

Step 2: Add red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, black pepper powder and salt to this and stir well allowing the masala to cook.

Step 3: Add the sliced carrots to this and mix well. Sprinkle a little water on this, cover n cook for 10-15mins. (keep checking it to ensure it doesn’t get burned)

Step 4: Stir well for another 4-5mins n’ its ready.

Punjabi Paneer Makhani

2010-03-08T09:52:00.000+03:00

I was going to make Chicken Kadai, but the lady who comes to help me with cooking n’ cleaning (she comes 3 days a week) was coming today n’ she doesn’t touch non-veg (at all) so I thought might as well make something I can take her help on. I wish I hadn’t asked for her help, I asked her to make tomato puree in the mixer grinder n’ a portion of my kitchen was splattered with tomato puree, she had stuffed too much into the small jar n’ hadn’t closed the lid properly before turning it on. :( So anyway we had a lot of cleaning work along with cooking in the 90mins she comes to work….so I got busy with cooking n’ she got into cleaning. I like finishing my cooking for the day in the morning before I go off to work that way when I reach home I don’t have a mountain of work waiting for me.

The first recipe book I ever bought was Nita Mehta’s Indian cooking. The reason I got it was to learn some north Indian cooking for my husband….i have never tried this recipe before n’ it’s shame that I hadn’t tried it before….there is something so alluring about a simple recipe. I guess after all that struggle (in my case just mental) today morning when a dish comes out well, that’s rewarding enough. I have deviated from the original recipe a little, but I have clearly mentioned them so you can avoid those steps if you feel like it. Do try this recipe…its really nice.

Ingredients:

1. Paneer- 250 gms ( cut into cubes)
2. Tomato- 500gms (I used only 3medium ones) or (if you are using ready made tomato puree I guess ¾ or 1 cup will do)
3. Cashew- 3 tbsp (coarsely crushed)
4. Jeera- 1tsp
5. Ginger Garlic Paste- 2tsp (preferably fresh)
6. Ghee/ Oil- 2tbsp (I used a non stick pan n’ used only 2tsp)
7. Kasturi Methi leaves- 1tbsp
8. Tomato Ketchup- 1tsp
9. Kashmiri Chili powder- ½tsp (reduce the amount if you are using ordinary chili powder)
10. Coriander Powder- 2tsp
11. Garam Masala- ½tsp
12. Milk- 1 ½cup
13. Cream- ½cup (optional)
14. Salt- 1tsp or according to your taste
15. Water- as required
16. Oil- 3tbsp (to lightly fry the paneer cubes, again this step to fry paneer is not there in the original recipe, I thought I’d like it better if its ever so lightly fried)
17. Green Chili- 2nos (finely sliced) the original recipe does not ask for this, but I was scared the sweetness of the dish won’t suit us, so you can skip this if you want.
18. Sugar- as required or ¼ spoon (this is not there in the original recipe either)

Method:

Step 1: Soak the cashew pieces in hot water (half a cup) for 10-15mins. Adding a little water (2-3tbsp) grind the cashew into a thick paste. Keep it aside.

Step 2: If you are making Tomato puree at home, cut each tomato into 4 and boil it for 5mins in half a cup of water. Keep it aside to cool. Make a thick paste in the grinder.

Step 3: Fry the paneer cubes in oil and keep it aside.

Step 4: In a pan heat Ghee and add jeera to it. Once jeera turns brown add the ginger garlic paste to this and fry it till the color changes.

Step 5: Add the tomato puree to this and fry it. (till the mix becomes dry and dark in color n oil starts oozing out) I added my chopped green chili and fried it along with the puree.

Step 6: Add kasturi methi and tomato sauce to this. (on low fire)

Step 7: Add coriander powder, chili powder, garam masala, and salt. Since I had reduced the amount of ghee to 2 tsp I had to add some water at this stage as the mixture was really dry. Stir it till the masala is cooked well.

Step 8: Add the cashew paste to this n’ mix well. Taste it to see if its too sour n’ add a little sugar to balance the taste.

Step 9: Heat the milk to be added (just 1 min in the microwave will do) and pour the warm milk into the above. Stir well. The original recipe asked us to keep the gravy aside to cool n’ then add the milk. But I figured adding hot milk to the hot gravy will do the trick as I was running out of time.

Step 10: At this point the gravy will look really rich n’ thick n’ smell nice. Add the paneer pieces to this gravy stir it for another 4-5mins. The curry is ready.

Step 11: If you are adding cream, do so at this stage and stir lightly (more like folding). And take off the fire immediately. Add a dash of cream on top before serving.

I'm posting this recipe before my husband eats it for lunch today, normally i will wait for his verdict. But i'm sure he will love this with chapathi..:) I think this will be best served with Chapathi or Tandoori Roti or Jeera Rice...

Chicken Masala

2010-03-01T13:20:00.000+03:00

This chicken curry is something I can make in my sleep…i have made it so often…i don’t even know how I started making it in the first place….its a combination of a recipe from my mom n’ some other recipe I saw somewhere…either ways…its on my quick fix list…if I ‘m feeling really lazy or I’m short of time…but I want to make an impression….then I make peas pilaf and this curry n’ my husband is a happy man….he really likes it…so here you go

Ingredients:

1. Chicken- 900gms (medium to small pieces)
2. Onion- 2nos (medium- chopped)
3. Ginger Garlic Paste- 1tsp (preferably fresh)
4. Tomato- 1no (chopped)
5. Green Chili- 1no- Slit into 2 (optional)
6. Chili Powder- 1tsp (use kashmiri chili powder if u don’t like spicy food)
7. Turmeric Powder- ½ tsp
8. Coriander Powder- 1 tsp
9. Garam Masala- ½ tsp
10. Cumin Powder- ½ tsp
11. Bay leaf- a small piece
12. Cinnamon- a small piece
13. Jeera- ½ tsp
14. Cardamom- 4nos
15. Cloves- 2-3nos
16. Black Pepper- 1tsp (coarsely crushed)- less if you don’t want it to be spicy
17. Salt- 1tsp or as required
18. Oil- 4tbsp (I use only 2 most of the time)

Method:

Step 1: Pressure cook the chicken pieces adding salt and crushed black pepper. No need to add any water. One whistle is enough.

Step 2: In a wok, heat the oil n’ add Bay leaf, Cinnamon, Cardamon, Jeera and Cloves.

Step 3: Add chopped onion and fresh ginger garlic paste to this. Sauté it until the onion turn golden brown.

Step 4: Add chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala, Cumin Powder to this. Add a little water if the mixture seems too dry. Allow the masala to cook well and oil to separate.

Step 5: Add chopped tomatoes to this. Allow it to cook for a 4-5mins n’ then mash it with a potato masher (if u don’t have this, as round bottom spoon should do). You can add ready tomato puree (½ cup) instead. Allow it to cook well and oil to separate from the gravy.
Step 6: The chicken will have a small amount of liquid/stock inside the pressure cooker. Add this to the above gravy and mix well. Add the slit green chilies if you are using them at this stage.

Step 7: Add the chicken piece to this gravy n’ cover it n’ cook it for another 5-10 mins. You can add coriander leaves for garnishing before serving.

I think its best served with any rice dishs or chapathis (might be a little too dry for chapathi). When I’m serving this with chapathi I will try n’ increase the level of water slightly in step 4.

Lemony Tofu Stir Fry

2010-02-28T12:17:00.000+03:00

I’m mostly someone who loves routine or rather even if I might not love it so much…my life is more or less predictable on most days….infact both me n’ my husband are like that….i wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that we are both Capricorns…either ways…we are alike in a lot of ways….ok I won’t tell you all the details….i might just shock u with how often we prefer to eat the same food…:)...so anyways i decided to move out of the comfort zone today....n' decided to try this recipe...

I also know that my/our favorite cuisine is Indian, Pakistani, (a little bit of )Italian n’ Chinese ( I don’t know if I’m talking about the Indian version of Chinese food as I have never tried the authentic version I think….or so I’m told ;)…in any case I don’t think I have tried too many cuisines to say that I don’t like something…but I guess u might rarely (if ever) find anything which doesn’t fall under this category on my food blog….i kind of find baking a little intimidating so I don’t know when I will start trying that…

Anyways coming back to this recipe….i kind of stay away from buying fancy things n’ trying out fancy recipes which require fancy things (my definition of “fancy” being anything which isn’t easily available or sometimes not at all available in India...also I have noticed that once I buy some “fancy” ingredient for one recipe….i fail to use it again as most of my cooking might not need it….so I think it’s a waste of money) Which explain my limited knowledge on things with fancy names….. i was under the impression Tofu n’ Paneer (cottage cheese) are more or less the same thing….but they are not….if you wanna learn more about that…check this website…

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070723071217AA9aJNa

So my veggie food adventure quest made me buy some tofu…..and the dish has come out so much better than I expected it to…..I honestly don’t know where you can buy Tofu in india so those who think tofu is “fancy” I’m sorry….this recipe is really simple n’ I had to give it a go…now I better get on with the recipe….so here you go…

Ingredients:
1. Tofu: 350gms (cut into cubes)
2. Soy Sauce: 1 tsp ( I used light soy sauce)
3. Oyster Sauce: 1tsp
4. Lemon Juice- 1 ½ tsp
5. Onion- 1 (cut into cubes)
6. Ginger Garlic- 1 tsp (crushed)
7. Red Capsicum- 1 (cut into cubes)
8. Green Chili- 3 (Sliced- 1 cut into 3 pieces should do)
9. Mushrooms- 3-4 Sliced (optional)
10. Noodles- I don’t know how to mention how much I used as this is meant more to add some character to the dish than as a must…..but I must have used enough for some 4tbsp of cooked noodles…
11. Salt- to taste
12. Olive Oil- 2tsp (yeah I used only so much…but up to u if u want to add more do so…)

Method:
Step 1: Marinate the tofu cubes adding soy sauce, oyster sauce n’ lemon juice. Keep it aside for atleast 15mins.

Step 2: Heat Olive oil in a pan n’ add onion n’ ginger garlic paste n’ fry it till the onion turns light brown.

Step 3: Add the capsicum cubes n’ sliced green chilies to this. Stirring it occasionally let it cook well.

Step 4: Add the cooked noodles and mushroom to this. Mushrooms will ooze out water….keep the flame on medium to high so that the gravy reduces a little. You can add salt at this point, again keeping in mind that the sauces used for marinade will be salty.

Step 5: Add the marinated tofu cubes n’ the mixture to the above n’ stir fry it for a while to allow the tofu to soak up the flavors n’ turn slightly golden brown.

Best served with plain rice, fried rice or noodles, this recipe is enough to serve only 2 people so depending on the number of people you are making it for, please increase the measurements.

Paneer Tikka Masala

2010-02-28T11:59:00.000+03:00

I have been making paneer at home mostly….but I have this problem that they don’t form a shape for me to cut them into cubes….once I hang them for the water to drain….i don’t know what to do to get them into a square or rectangular shape for me to cut them into cubes later….the day I learn how to do this…I’m gonna share it with the world…so mostly I have been making paneer burji or paneer cutlets or paneer wraps…(will post these recipes once I take some snaps)…the problem is I make all this once I get back from work….n’ my husband is no help in the kitchen….so by the time I’m done making things (I’m kind of slow)…I’m way too tired n’ hungry to get more creativity out of me for a good snap…needless to say he will be really hungry too…that’s how I have been so quite on my blog…..me doing this blog and the so many wonderful food blogs out there has kind of inspired me to cook new things…but the more interest I take in cooking….the more weight I put on…what with just the 2 of us to finish whatever I make….so I’m taking this food blog thing a little slow.

Anyways….so I’m on a veggie food spree and decided to buy paneer this time so that I can try some north Indian recipes……what I could mostly find on the web were panner butter masala…2 good recipes are available here

http://www.mariasmenu.com/vegetarian/paneer-butter-masala

http://mykitchenantics.blogspot.com/2009/07/paneer-butter-masala.html

I almost went ahead n’ tried this. But then I came across a simple Panner Tikka Masala on a cooking show on the TV and decided to try it instead…so here you go….

Ingredients:

For the Marinade:
1. Yogurt- 2tbsp (the host asked us to use thick yogurt if u don’t have that…then hang the yogurt in a muslin cloth to reduce the excess water)
2. Chili Powder- ½ tsp (more or less according to taste…this is less according to me)
3. Kastoori Methi Powder- 1tsp
4. Salt- as per taste
5. Lime Juice- Half a lime
6. Oil- 1tsp
7. Paneer- 400gms (sliced into cubes)
8. Tomato- 1 (deseeded n’ sliced into cubes)
9. Capsicum- 1 (sliced into cubes)
10. Onion- 1 (sliced into cubes)

For the rest;)
1. Oil- 2-3tbsp
2. Jeera Seeds- ½ tsp
3. Onion- 1 big (Chopped)
4. Ginger Garlic Paste- 1tsp (preferably fresh)
5. Turmeric Powder- ½ tsp
6. Coriander Powder- 1tsp
7. Cumin Powder- ½ tsp
8. Chili Powder- ½ tsp
9. All purpose flour (maida) – 1tsp
10. Tomato Puree- 1 cup
11. Fresh Coriander Leaves- 1stem (chopped)
12. Garam Masala Powder- 1tsp
13. Water- as required
14. Salt: as per taste
15. Cream : 2-3tbsp

Method:

Step 1: Add yogurt, kastoori methi, lime juice, chili powder, oil and salt (from the ingredients for the marinade) into a fine paste. Add Paneer, tomato, onion n’ capsicum cubes to this paste n’ marinate for atleast half an hour.

Step 2: Heat oil in a pan and add jeera, once the jeera splutters, add the chopped onions and ginger garlic paste to this. Let it cook until the onion turns golden brown.

Step 3: Add turmeric, coriander, cumin n’ chili powders to the onion. Let the masala cook for a while. Add the flour to this n’ let it cook for a while. (don’t move on to the next step till the flour is cooked well…you will be able to see the oil separating from the mix and that’s an easy way to know its cooked)

Step 4: Add salt and the pureed tomatoes to this…stirring it occasionally let this mixture cook for a while. Depending on the whether you are using canned tomato puree or fresh the cooking time will vary a little. If you are using canned tomato puree it will cook faster. Once the oil starts to separate add a little water to get a thick gravy (if required)…

Step 5: While the tomato puree is being cooked, grill the marinated paneer and veggies on a grill pan or in the oven, I used my grill pan this time but decided to try the grill in the oven the next time around….the only reason why I’m thinking this is as more oil is required when u grill them in a pan compared to grilling them in the oven (I think so I’m not too sure)….the tomato cubes tend to get cooked faster than the other cubes….so take them off the grill sooner than the others. (If you are using skewers in the oven I guess this shouldn’t matter.)

Step 6: Add the grilled paneer and veggies to the gravy n’ let it cook for a atleast 10 mins….add the garam masala powder on top of the curry n’ mix well….let it be covered for 5more mins. Add the cream one spoon at a time n’ mixing it with the gravy….let it cook for another 5mins n’ add coriander leaves to this to garnish.

Its best served with plain rice, tandoori roti or chapatti……I added on sliced green chili along with the garam masala as I wanted the dish to be a little more spicier….also its possible that the gravy turns a little too sour…again it depends on ur tomato puree….if this happens…just add 2-3pinches of sugar n’ that should resolve your problem…. I’m not too fond of adding red color to my food….but I guess most of the restaurants add color to enhance the look….do so for this recipe if you want….might make it look exactly like what you buy from restaurants...:)

Baby Corn Manchurian

2010-02-28T11:12:00.000+03:00

I don’t think I have bought baby corns after moving to Bahrain. So its safe to assume its been almost 2yrs since I last had them…..atrocious rite???

Anyways now the situation sort of demands me to eat more veggies and I considered cooking something with some Baby Corn. Being a Mal there is not tried n’ tested family recipe for this and I had to get some help from the internet. I just typed ‘baby corn recipe’ as my search title n’ most of what I got were baby corn Manchurian recipes….honeslty I have never had them before n’ I decided to try…..just coz it was really easy…i love easy recipes…I mean I’m really lazy most of the time…but sometimes the whole ‘josh’ of cooking becomes a little overpowering and I end up trying something new…. this recipe is a combination of three recipes….kind of had to judge what can I avoid n’ what’s a must……I love doing this…:D so here you go….

Ingredients :

1.Baby Corn- 300gms
2. All Purpose Flour (Maida)- 3/4th of a cup
3. Corn Flour- 1tbsp
4. Chili Powder – ½ tsp (I used kashmiri chili powder)
5. Pepper Powder- ½ tsp (reduce the qty if u don’t like spicy food)
6. Ginger Garlic - 2tsp (crushed)
7. Salt- to taste
8. Water- ½ cup
9. Oil- ½ cup ( for deep frying)
10. Soy Sauce- 1tsp ( I used light sauce)
11. Oyster Sauce- 1tsp
12. Red Chili Sauce- 1tsp (use less if you don’t share my love for spicy food ;)
13. Tomato Ketchup- 1tsp
14. Onion- 1 big (sliced thin) or (2 medium ones)
15. Spring Onion- 1 Stem (add more if you like to)
16. Vinegar/ Lime Juice (optional)- a drizzle
17. a pinch of ajinomoto (optional)- I added Maggie Noodles taste maker (1packet) instead…;)

Method:

Step 1: Cut each baby corn into 3 slices, and boil the same in water adding a little salt….(i add very little water most of the time while boiling… instead of covering the vegetables with water I toss the pan to cook it evenly). Once cooked drain the baby corn n’ keep it aside. (Don’t throw the water we can use the same later)

Step 2: Mix the flour, corn flour, chili powder, pepper powder, 1 tsp of ginger garlic crushed, soy sauce (just a few drops) and salt.

Step 3: Coat this batter on the Baby corns and deep dry the same. Keep it aside.

Step 4: Remove as much oil as possible (leaving maybe arnd 1tbsp…add a little more later if required) and in the same pan add the sliced onion n’ the remaining 1tsp crushed ginger garlic. Let it cook for a while until the onion turns pink….

Step 5: Once the onion is cooked to your satisfaction, add all the sauces to this (soy, oyster, chili and tomato ketchup) again….let is cook for a while….

Step 6: Add the taste maker to the above once the same is cooked. As all the above (sauces n’ tastemaker) is a little salty, take care while adding more salt to this. Add the spring onion slices now (so that it doesn’t get overcooked)

Step 7: Add the water that we had kept aside from boiling the baby corn (not too much just enough for a light gravy). Add the fried baby corns to this….and stirring/folding it occasionally let it be on the fire for atleast 5-10 more mins…(so that the baby corn get the flavor of the gravy) and its ready to serve…

I think it will be best served with fried rice or plain rice.

Strawberry & Honey Quickie

2009-08-10T10:27:00.000+03:00

Really i couldn't resist the name i gave this ;)....i'm not sure how this will sound and i'm not making this blog a gap to peek into my life...but really... i came across this recipe when i was looking for aphrodisiac foods ;)...

childishly simple n' easy to make....but then again i guess if you are making this with a particular purpose in mind...the simpler the better....eh?...so here we go...

Ingredients

1.Strawberries : 300gms

2. Orange: 1no

3. Honey: 2 tsps

4. Black Peppercorn: a pinch (crushed)

Method

Step 1: Wash the strawberries and gently pat them dry with a paper kitchen towel.

Step 2: Slice the strawberries very thin lengthwise and arrange them flat on a plate in a circular direction, do not overlap them. The resulting pattern would resemble a flower.

Step 3: Cut the orange in half, discard the seeds and squeeze the juice over the sliced strawberries.

Step 4: Drizzle the honey and crush the peppercorns in a pepper mill and very lightly sprinkle this over the sliced berries.

Refrigerate and serve chilled. I had sprinkle a little caster sugar too as the strawberries were a little sour...

Prawns Chili Fry or Prawns Ullarthiyathu

2009-08-09T18:07:00.000+03:00

This has to be one of the simplest, easiest n’ tastiest way of eating prawns. But it still doesn’t compare to the best dish of prawns we have ever had. I still remember clearly how we had some prawns chili fry from a shack in the Goan beach during our honey moon….i had never before or since have eaten prawns that tasty…..n’ my mom’s lobster fry, hands down, is the best I have ever had in my life…my father used to buy it just for me (even though it was expensive)….coz I loved it so much….n’ amma used to make it so spicy that I could feel like I’m breathing out n’ taking in fire….:) after eating it…Even my cousins who doesn’t eat as spicy food as us…could never resist my mom’s lobster dish…I don’t know if I will ever be able to make them that well…but for the time being I satisfy myself with this simple prawns preparation. My personal favourite way of eating dish is with some nice hot Sambar n’ white rice. :D

Ingredients:
1. Prawns: 300gms
2. Small Onion (aka Sambar onions): 10-12nos (Sliced)
3. Ginger: ½ tsp (chopped)
4. Garlic: ½ tsp (chopped)
5. Chili Powder: 1tsp (reduce if you don’t want it to be spicy)
6. Turmeric Powder: ½ tsp
7. Coconut : 2tsp (Sliced)
8. Kodam Pulli (Gambogea ): 1-2 pods (soaked in water)
9. Salt: as per taste
10. Oil- 2tbsp (add 3tbsp if you like)
11. Mustard Seeds: 1tsp
12. Curry Leaves: 10-12nos

Method:
Step 1: Wash, clean n’ devein the prawns.

Step 2: Mix the sliced small onions, ginger, garlic, Kodam Pulli along with the water, chili powder, turmeric powder, coconut slices n’ salt with the prawns. Cook this without adding any additional water to this. Prawns cooks really fast, so you can actually make this on high flame, the liquid which oozes out of the prawns will evaporate quickly. (I use a mud vessel that’s commonly used for making fish in Kerala for this. But it’s up to you what dish/pan you want to use to cook these prawns.)

Step 3: To fry the prawns, heat oil, add mustard seeds (wait for it to splutter) n’ add curry leaves n’ once it changes color add the cooked prawns with the thick gravy into this n’ fry it well. Again don’t overcook otherwise the prawns the softer they are the juicier they are. :) Add a pinch or 2 of crushed black pepper before taking it off the fire n’ mix it…adds a wild zing…:D

Bangle Tangle

2009-08-05T21:49:00.001+03:00

I managed to complete an idea i have had in my mind since some time....I had started this blog with every intention not to restrict it to cooking n' recipes....I wanted it to reflect my interests in arts n' crafts as well. This is one of the first successful projects of mine...I don't exactly know where I had gotten the idea from...but the last time I had been to Commercial Street in Bangalore, I had bought some bangles I didn't have any intention to wear....n hence didn't spend too much money on it. I wish, I had more with me...but I had gotten only around 6 dozen of what I wanted....I color coordinated it a little with the existing theme I have in my living room...it's kinda really simple...

I have just interconnected the bangles with a thick thread, winding the thread twice around each corner. I had got some small round mirrors from india as well (wasn't sure what i wanted with them when i got them) used a quick fix to stick the mirrors on the thread passing within the circle of the bangle and it's ready. It's hung on a wall key hook I had found at a fair in Bhopal...if you have done something similar or if this inspires you to do something do let me know, would love to see it!...:)

Rajma - Red Kidney Bean - Indian Curry

2009-07-28T08:46:00.000+03:00

This is one dish i can make n' make it well even in my sleep. I have made this a countless number of times as my husband loves it. Infact i made this for him even before we got married n' i'm sure one of the major reason for us being married today is my rajma curry....;)

So here we go.....
Ingredients

Rajma: 1 1/2cups (soaked overnight or at least for 6-7hrs)
Water: 6-7 cups (at least)
Onion: 2 nos (medium)- (finely Chopped)
Ginger Garlic Paste: 1 1/2tsp (preferably fresh) (if u are using ready made i guess 1 tsp will do)
Tomato- 1-2nos (Chopped)- puree it if you like... might taste better...
Cream/ Curd: 1 tbsp (optional)
Salt- as per taste
Oil: 3-4tbsp (the recipe book i had consulted 4yrs ago said some 6tbsp)
Coriander/Cilantro Leaves & Green Chili: for garnishing

MASALA POWDER

Chili Powder: 3/4tsp

Turmeric Powder: 1/4tsp

Coriander Powder: 2 tsp

Garam Masala: 1tsp

Amchoor: 1/4tsp (optional) but adding it brings a great flavour
FRESH GARAM MASALA
Black Pepper Corns: 4-5nos
Cardamom: 2nos
Bay Leaf: a small piece
Cinnamon: 1 small piece
Cumin Seeds: 1/2 tsp

Method

Step 1: Pressure cook the soaked rajma for 30mins on low fire. I cook it with salt as i think it tastes better this way.

Step 2: Grind fresh garam masala (preferably by hand in a mortar and pestle). Add oil into a hot wok and add this ground garam masala once the oil is hot.

Step 3: Add chopped onion and the ginger garlic paste. Fry it well so that the raw taste won't remain.

Step 4: Add all the masala powder to this. Add a little water from the water in the cooked rajma. If you are cooking the rajma and making this gravy at the same time then this won't be possible, if so then add just a little plain water. Cook it till oil separates.

Step 5: Add chopped/ puree tomatoes. Fry it till its really soft and squash the pieces if any with a spoon.

Step 6: If you are adding cream or curd...add it now. The color of the gravy will turn a light brown at this point. Stir it for a min or so n' it will turn back into the dark brown color.

Step 7: I add some cooked rajma to this gravy at this point n' mash it up together to get a thick paste. Ok...this step can be avoided too...but somehow i like doing this. ;)

Step 8: Add only the beans to the gravy and cook for a while, stirring to get the flavour on the rajma. Add the extra water from the cooker and leave it covered for 10mins of so. Add enough water to form a thick gravy (keeping in mind that it will thicken once it cools).

This is ready to serve with some garnish. It tastes really good with Indian Chapatti and plain rice and i almost always serve it with an easy cucumber salad. My husband is does not eat most of the veggies everyone likes (if cooked), but if given as a salad (those that can be used for a salad) he will finish the whole thing without any problems. ;) I also use the same ingredients and follow the same steps to make Lobia (Black Eyed Peas- Indian Curry).

Guacamole- The Chunky Avocado Dip

2009-07-27T10:11:00.000+03:00

I'm ashamed to say that i would have never tried this amazing Spanish dip, had it not been for my Brazilian friend in office. She had made some at home and got some for us to office. She had got some tortilla chips too....n' i loved it.

Avocados are also called butter fruit back home....something i refused to eat (like most things!) till i reached Bangalore. There i had a pregnant colleague and she used to have Avocado Milkshakes everyday. All the health talks of the good cholesterol in it n' all convinced me to try it too...n' i fell in love. Oh i can have it any day anytime...i convinced Robin to try it and he disliked the creamy feel n' taste...;)

Well now you know my reservations about trying the guacamole recipe at home....anyways...i went ahead with my plan last night. I served this with some spicy grilled chicken. So here we go...

Ingredients

Avocado : 1no (ripe)

Onion: 1/2 (finely chopped)

Green Chili: 1no (chopped)- avoid this if you don't want it even lightly spicy

Cilantro Leaves: 1tbsp (finely chopped)

Mint Leaves: 3-4nos (finely chopped) - (the authentic recipe does not ask you to add this...adding this brings a freshness i love... so this is completely optional.)

Lime/Lemon Juice: 1 1/2 tsp

Salt: as per taste

Method

Step 1: Cut the avocado in half n' then cut both the pieces into 2 again. This will help you remove the seed and to peel the skin.

Step 2: Cut the peeled avocado into smaller pieces (cubes). Mash it using a fork. Add chopped onion, cilantro, green chili, mint, lemon juice and salt and mash some more.

This is ready, cover (to prevent oxidation from the air reaching it) and refrigerate before serving.

The measurements given here is enough for 2 people but if you are cooking for more people, please increase the measurements accordingly. My friend had added chopped tomato as well. I didn't use it this time, but i read that if you are using it then you should add this to the mixture only while serving it or just before. Robin ate it as well and he didn't guess the main ingredient n' i refused to tell him now that he liked it a lot. ;) The grilled chicken recipe is borrowed and you can find it here in my friend's blog. http://mykitchenantics.blogspot.com/

Coconut Pudding with Mangoes and Lychees

2009-07-22T20:21:00.000+03:00

I made this pudding a while back, one of the main reasons for even searching for something like this was i had some ripe mangoes and fresh lychees with me. I also realised that i have some coconut milk left over from the chicken stew i made recently..and knowing Robin doesn't like coconut flavour so much i still had to try this one...;)

Ingredients

Coconut Milk: 400ml

Milk: 410ml

Caster Sugar: 5 tbsp

Hot Water: 2 tbsp

Gelatine: 3 tsp

Lime: 1 no.

Orange: 1 no.

Ripe Mangoes: 2 nos

Lychees: 10 nos

Apricots: 5-6 nos- sliced (optional)

Caster Sugar: 2 tsp

Method

Step 1: Heat Coconut Milk , Milk and Sugar (5 tbsp) in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occassionaly for 5mins, until the sugar dissolves.

Step 2: Add the hot water to the Gelatine, stirring continuously until it dissolves.

Step 3: Add the above to a Coconut Milk mixture and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into a container. Cover and place it in the fridge for 6hrs to set.

Step 4: You need to do the following steps roughly 10-15mins before serving. Use a zester to remove the rind from the lime (thin strips). Juice the Lime and Orange into a medium bowl.

Step 5: Add sliced mangoes, apricots, lychees, lime rind and sugar (2 tsp) to the citrus juice and combine. Set it aside for 5mins for the flavours to develop.

Step 6: Scoop the coconut pudding into bowls and serve immediately with the fruits.

Pasta with No Sauce

2009-07-22T09:37:00.001+03:00

Trust me i could not come up with a better name. I have been having a really busy week and plus i'm on some diet plan i'm not following.

I swear the more i think about being on a diet, the more i want to eat. I'm constantly thinking about food...it's driving me nuts. Plus i can never sit through a movie without eating something...Robin hates it....he on the other hand doesn't eat or drink anything while watching a movie or TV....how boring is that?

Anyway, before going home for lunch, i was already hungry like crazy. We had Cheru Payarthoran (Moong Dal) at home. I personally love having it with pickle n' Kanji. But my man isn't too keen on this...n' he likes eating it with Chapatti. I also like it now, considering it has less fat packed in this option.

I wasn't sure what i wanted to eat, but i was in no mood for what was ready at home. I have never used tomato sauce in my pasta n' have always made white sauce at home. But truth be told it doesn't come out the way i dream my pasta to be. The exotic sauces n' cheese that all the recipes online require wasn't there with me either. I quickly stopped at a shop on the way n' got an Italian Tomato Sauce meant for Pasta....which i didn't add! ;) I wasn't even sure of what i'm making till i finished making it...;)...anyways here we go...
Ingredients

Pasta: 250gms
Butter: 2tbsp ;)
Onion: Chopped into small pieces
Garlic: 3-4nos (crushed)
Mushroom: 200gms (sliced)
Maggi Chicken Stock cube- 1
Hot water: 1/2 ltr
Corn flour: 1-2 tsp (diluted)
Eggs- 2 nos (scrambled)
Oregano: a pinch for garnishing
Chili Flakes: for garnishing
Fresh Peppercorn crushed- a pinch or 2
Salt - to taste ( i used salted butter n' the chicken stock already had some)

Method

Step 1: Cook pasta in hot water till tender and set it aside. (i add salt n' oil in this stage, i have read this is not the authentic way to do it...but this works for me)

Step 2: In a hot pan add butter, crushed garlic and onion. Once the onion has softened add sliced mushrooms and cook till lightly tender.

Step 3: Add the chicken stock cube to the boiled water to make the stock.

Step 4: Add the chicken stock and corn flour to the mushrooms. (if you find the level of gravy to be more than decent it's ok. Once it thickens slightly, add oregano and pepper powder.

Step 5: Add the cooked pasta to this. The extra gravy will be required as we are not using any other paste. Add some more salt if required.

This is ready to serve, sprinkle some chili powder and grated cheese before serving. I used scrambled eggs instead of cheese (hehe) for lunch. The left over for dinner i served it with some cherry tomatoes and fried Beef Salami. This dish came out so much better than i expected. I guess it just goes on to prove pasta is something you can do anything with...;)