Annapurna

Mix them all!

2010-09-09T10:19:00.003-04:00

Hope all is well with you guys.. I'm finally back! Its been almost an year without food post on my blog.. I even considered giving up Food Blogging, but here I am giving this another shot :-)

One thing that my husband never forgets to get from India is the South Indian "Mixture". I wanted to try that at home, but didn't have the right gadgets with me. I still tried, and the result was fabulous! This is a tedious recipe, but do it with patience and you will get an amazing result. If you're like me (a bit impatient), you will learn it with time.

A mixture generally consists of Boondi, Karapusa, Peanuts, Cashews, Poha (Beaten Rice) all Deep Fried

Recipe:

For Karapusa

Besan - 1/2 cup
Rice Flour - 1/4 cup
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp (Reduce if not a spice freak)
Salt to Taste
Ghee - 1-2 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

For Boondi

Besan - 1/2 cup
Rice Flour - 1/4 cup
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp (Reduce if not a spice freak)
Salt to Taste

Beaten Rice - 1/2 cup
Peanuts - 1/3 cup
Cashews - 1/4 cup
Curry leaves - 10 to 12
Red Chillies - 4 to 5
Red Chilli Powder & Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Procedure

* Mix all the ingredients for karapusa with water and make it into a smooth dough (similar to a chapathi dough, but softer). Put the dough into the Muruku mould and press in circular motions into medium hot oil. Drain onto a paper towel once it turns golden brown.

* I didn't have a Boondi Ladle with me, so I used an old grater that had small circular holes in it. It worked out perfect! Mix the ingredients under the boondi section into a batter of Dosa Consistency (start with a bit thicker). Deep fry in oil. Remove when it turns golden brown and drain on a paper towel.

* Deep fry cashews, peanuts, red chillies (broken in halves) separately and finally the beaten rice (poha). Careful with the Poha, they fry in seconds.

* Break the karapusa into 1/2 inch pieces and mix all the above along with Red Chilli Powder and Salt (if you need more spice). You could also add Dry Coconut pieces. Mix well and store in an airtight container. Serves well as an evening snack or to help you with boredom!

P.S: I'm still trying to find a good spot at my new home with good lighting for good photography. Until then please bear with these photos.

4 months later...

2010-01-19T17:00:00.003-05:00

I have no clue why I'm writing this post, but I wanted to keep everyone who has the courtesy to check my blog updated. Its been a really really long time since I posted anything.

First I was busy with preparations to host my parents who were visiting the US. There were festivals, get-togethers, whole lot of traveling and all I needed was a break to breathe-in some fresh air! But lots of things happened!

Well. There's Good News and Bad News.

Good News - Ahem, Ahem! I'm a Married Lady now! I wanted to announce to the world, dance my way to the Mandap and get married screaming loud & clear.. but fatigue/laziness ruled over and I got no time to Update the Blog! Sorry :D

All the time before wedding was spent on online shopping and I landed just 4 days before the wedding! I got married in late Nov and these 2 months have been really really wonderful! Not only do I & my husband share half our first names, we also share the same budday! Now, how cool is that, huh?!

For the Bad News - We both stay in different cities, and like most of the career-oriented newly weds, we meet only during the weekends :( Pre-wedding I was under the assumption that life cannot any busier than this, but I was proved wrong.. shuttling between two extremely cold cities in this nasty winter is not easy! So, I am rarely finding time to cook on weekdays, and on weekends we are mostly eating out..

I might get back to blogging once I find some job in the other cold town, but I would like to park my Blog for a while until I get back..

P.S - I tried making Idlies last weekend, and they failed so miserably :-D .. I might use that as a weapon over my husband.. Buhahahaha!

I'm back - I guess?!

2009-09-28T13:32:00.009-04:00

Its been over a month since I've posted anything on my blog and before bloggers feel I've gone extinct I decided to post about my "in-active existence". The last few weeks have been very memorable and extremely tiring at the same time. I'm the kind of person who recuperates during weekends, and as my parents were here ... weekends were the only time we could go on site-seeing. Although we managed to cover quite a few places on the East Coast, as always I'm never content with the duration of the vacation.

There were a lot of things I thought I would do, but couldn't. I planned to work from 7 AM to 3 PM so that I could spend more time with my parents in the evening, but ended up reaching home at 6.30 PM and then taking them out for a 3 hr shopping. I also planned to visit all the numerous blogs and check out new recipes while I'm at work, but my work got so hectic - I didn't have time to check my emails too!

My parents have left and I've started to miss them already :-( I haven't got back to cooking, as tiredness is still ruling me and I can only find enough stamina to cook rice and nothing more.. I've been living over pickles & Yogurt from the last week and probably will get to cooking soon.

I've received a bunch of awards from few bloggers and I really didn't have the time to post with the all the mess happening around me. Thanks Shri, Sanghi and Lavi - for passing me these awards and all the bloggers for dropping in their comments even when I wasn't around :-)

From Lavi -- YUM-YUM blog award, Yummy Blog Award, Thank You for Friendship award, Perfect Blend of Friendship, and Giant Bear Hug award.

From Shri -- A Fabulous Blog and Scrumptious Blog Award

From Sanghi - Gold Friends Award

Thanks gals! This really means a lot to me :-) These awards need to be passed, but as I am posting these 5 weeks after I've got them - I assume everyone has been blessed with these awards. In case you haven't - I'd be blessed if you can pick it up from my blog :-)

Although I am back to blogging, I am not currently in form (like the Indian Cricket Team). I'd be visiting your den to catch up on lots of things I've missed, and prep myself up for posting something related to food!

Revisiting side-dishes..

2009-09-03T15:33:00.007-04:00

Nothing new, just re-posting some of the old dishes that are on their way to Viki's "Side Dish for Chapati Event"

Vegetable Sagu with Puri

Chole

Stuffed Capsicum

Shahi Paneer

Methi Aloo

Low Cal Malai Kofta

Kadai Paneer

Capsicum Masala

Baingan Bharta

Potato Curry

I will see if I can post a few more entries before the deadline.. but for now these babies are In.. Long weekend is almost here for the guys in US (and also in AP with the unfortunate demise of the CM). I am making the weekend even longer by bunking work tomorrow and holidaying with family at NYC & DC! Woohoo! :-D ... Have a great weekend you guys!

Some Irregularity Coming Up..

2009-08-24T13:01:00.005-04:00

Hope everyone had good fun with Vinayaka Chavithi this year! Past couple of weeks have been really hectic and thats the reason I'm not coming up with anything worth posting. My parents are here for 5 weeks, and thats why I've been doing all the cleaning that I haven't done in a very long time! - Car Cleaning, Kitchen Cabinets, Carpets, Rest rooms, Bedroom and Closet - Lots of things to clean and so little time!!

I had a great time with the Vinayaka Chavithi, as my parents were here to celebrate the festival along with my brother and SIL - and it reminded me of my childhood days. Here are a couple of pics from the Pooja..

Btw, the Idol that you see is my attempt at Clay Modeling :-D (It didn't turn out as good as last years, but was not-bad either).

My mom being here gives me a super-duper oppurtunity to gorge on some of her specials and will give me Zero-chance on cooking something new. I've got loads of goodies, dresses and few other items from mom :-) My only complaint is my dad wakes me up at 5.30 AM everyday and I'm not a morning person and can get very cranky if I fall short of sleep :-(

With plenty of places to visit in and around Massachusetts, these 5 weeks are going to get really hectic with lots of traveling and very less sleep.. I still have some recipes in the draft which I will keep posting during this downtime to keep you guys coming back here :-) I will surely visit all the blogs I can because that I usually do when I'm at Work :-D.

Until then - Keep Cooking, Blogging and Have Fun!

Potato Curry - My Istyle!

2009-08-18T11:26:00.010-04:00

I know for most of us potatoes are life-savers. They are the to-go vegetable when you have nothing on mind on what to cook - This is the case with me more often than not. Although potatoes were cooked frequently at home, each time mom made a different version so that we don't get bored. This post is about one such version. Alu Curry or as I fondly call it "Pedda Koora" (Pedda - Big; Koora - Curry) is my favorite of all the versions and here's the recipe..

Ingredients:

Potatoes - 5 to 6 medium sized ones ( I used Red Potatoes)
Oil - 4 to 5 tbsp
Homemade Curry Powder ( Recipe can be found here) - 2 tbsp
Chilli Powder - 1 tsp (optional)
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Cilantro - to garnish
Salt

Recipe:

* Pressure Cook Potatoes until they are 80% done. To test this, stick a fork or a toothpick into the cooking potatoes. Remove from flame when the potatoes are cooked but are still holding their shape. Do not let the potatoes lurk in water for long, as the water would be absorbed and that would make the dish quite soggy.

* Peel and cube the cooked potatoes.

* In a pan, heat some oil - Add cumin seeds, and then add the cubed potatoes and let it roast on med-high flame for a while. Keep stirring and make sure all the pieces are fried until golden-brown.

* Now add Chilli Powder (Optional), Salt and Curry Powder. Mix well and let it fry for few more mins.

* Add chopped Cilantro and give it a final mix and serve hot with Rice/Chapatis. This tastes like heaven when served along with Rice and Rasam.

The beauty of this dish lies in how perfectly the potatoes are cooked. Over-cooking them can just snatch away the look of the dish. The Curry Powder tastes best when used with Potatoes, Bell Peppers and Brinjals. This is an extremely easy dish to make and can be cooked in a jiffy!

When Ashwini announced FIC - Zodiac Signs, I was a bit confused on what to cook that would come up in Orange/Gold as Leo is my sign - but this pic has been lurking on my hard-drive for a very long time and finally it has made it to the post. This is my entry to Ashwini's "FIC - Zodiac Sign" a concept of Sunshinemom.

This is on its way to Viki's "Side Dish for Chapati" Event.

P.S: For most of you this curry might look a bit weird - No Onions? No Garlic?! - But that's how its cooked at my household and believe me tastes great! :-)

Happy Krishnashtami!

2009-08-14T08:10:00.005-04:00

A Very Happy Krishnastami to one and all!

Krishnashtami or Krishna Janmashtami marks the birth of Lord Krishna. More about the festival here.

Here's a sketch that I would like to show on the eve of Janmashtami. I sketched this a while ago (during my initial days) so its very amateur stuff - Hope you like it( I had to edit the pic to add light)

And closing off this post with one of my fav songs sung by MS Amma (Listen & Enjoy!)

Have fun on this auspicious day! and A Happy Independence Day to All Indians across the world! Have a great weekend too :-)

Blabber Time a.k.a Awards/ MeMe Time

2009-08-11T14:56:00.013-04:00

I have been tagged and showered with Awards by these four beautiful ladies.. Hari Chandana, Suparna, Parita and Shri.

I truly thank each of them for considering me for these awards and giving me one more chance to blabber about myself and bore you guys As you might have known by now (if you are a frequent visitor) my posts are never short.. So get ready for a long ready once again...

Q: What is your current obsession?
A: My All-time Obsessions - Drawing/Sleep/Buying Wrist Watches/Foot Wear/Cooking/Being Right Always

My current Obsession is - Checking any new deals on Electronic Goods/Planning on how to clean the house before my parents visit (Please note, it doesn't mention about actually cleaning the house )

Q: What are you wearing today?
A: At work currently - So formals and I absolutely hate them.

Q: What’s for dinner?
A: No Idea! Any Suggestions for a Simple-Tasty-Low Cal Dinner-Carry Forward Lunch ?

Q: What’s the last thing you bought?
A: Gas for my car. Today I'l be out shopping again and buy something formal to wear to Office (as its my "Happy budday" tomorrow )

Q: What are you listening to right now?
A: Apart from hearing my conscience telling me to keep this post short, I can also listen to some Japanese men talking in the Hallway. In the background there's the noise of printers too. (Unfortunately, I work for printer based company and there are prints taken once in every 5 mins ) But, I really wish I were listening to M.S.Subbulakshmi's Songs.

Q: What do you think about the person(s) who tagged you?
A:
Hari Chandana - She is very talented cook and an awesome artist. I simply love her simplicity

Suparna - I think of her as a very vivacious, warm-hearted person. She fills in a lot of warmth with her comments on any blog. She's an amazing cook too I always look forward to reading her lengthy comments

Parita - A beautiful lady from the very beautiful Switzerland. Her unique recipes are simply superb and she comes out as a very sweet person through her posts. I envy her for getting to stay at one of the most amazing locations of the world.

Shri - A very friendly blogger and an awesome cook. All her recipes are unique and the way she describes them make the recipe sound very simple! (though it might not be the case)

Q: If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?
A: Do you remember the movie Khakha Khakha (Tamil)or Gharshana (Telugu) - The home where Jyothika takes Surya is my dream place but I would change the location to a place where - it doesn't snow, but is cold; the sun shines but it isn't too hot; and the trees are colorful always; and there's rain atleast once a week .. Have you heard of a place like that? See the image below to get an idea of what I'm talking about (BTW, the house is incomplete in this pic, and Surya doesn't look this bad!) Img Source - Wiki

(For all those who don't watch Tamil/Telugu movies - Surya is a very handsome actor from Tamil Film Industry, and married to Jyothika)

Q: What are your must-have pieces for summer?
A: Cotton wear, Sun-glasses, Sun-screen, Wet Wipes, Deo, Chapstick, Flip-Flops and Ice cubes!

Q: If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
A: Goto Hyderabad, Pick up my parents and Holiday in Italy.

Q: Which language do you want to learn?
A: For now Japanese, I want to know what these men keep talking for so long in the Hallway. It annoys my nosy nature not to understand what they speak

Q: What’s your favourite quote?
A: There are two
"I am a lover of my own liberty, and so I would do nothing to restrict yours." - MK Gandhi
&
"The secret of success is to be like a duck, Smooth and unruffled on top, But paddling furiously underneath." - Bill Cosby

Q: Who do you want to meet right now?
A: President Obama if that's possible and tell him in person how cool his voice sounds and suggest to 'Talk Less - Work More'. If he's busy, may be I could settle for a one-on-one meeting with Surya Sorry Jyothika!

Q: What is your favourite color?
A: Black, Always! When it comes to clothing, I like Blue too(Copper Sulphate Blue precisely).

Q: What is your favourite piece of clothing in your own closet?
A: Hmm, thats tough. Because every piece is bought with a lot of liking.. I should say my Black Anarkali Chudidar, Orange-Green Silk Saree, Mustard Colored Work Saree (which is currently acting as a moth-feed in India), Black Work Saree and my new evening dress (Which I haven't worn until now ) are the ones I can remember as of now.

Q: What is your dream job?
A: I keep dreaming of a dream job daily while doing the same old find-bugs-kill-bugs job I guess I have covered all possible options right from Navy to Teaching to Designing ... Have you seen the movie(s) Nayak (Hindi) or Oke Okkadu/Mudhalvan (Telugu/Tamil resp) where the hero acts as a CM for one day? - That wouldn't be a bad option for a dream job right? But for now, I'm worried about keeping current job safe from the Nasty Recession..

Q: What’s your favourite magazine?
A: Not a big Magazine reader, but I like skimming through Inside-Outside. Not sure if its still in publication.. Technical Magazines act like a sleeping pill to me.

Q: If you had $100 now, what would you spend it on?
A: Let me see, I'm confused between 3 choices...

Apple 3G iPhone 8GB
OR
Fill Gas in my Car - $ 20; A nice luxurious Car wash - $10; Have a nice lunch - $ 15; A cool Hair Cut, Shampoo+Blow Dry and a Therapy Head Massage - $ 50+Tip+Taxes
OR
Replace Car Seat Covers.

Q: What do you consider a fashion faux pas?
A: Cross dressers. Guys with long hair - Sorry, but Eww!! (You give me a complex!)

Q: Who are your style icons?
A: Its scary to have an icon these days, It takes a while to know if a person is man/woman.. So for a confused person like me, it is not advisable to have an Icon.

Q: Describe your personal style.?
A: Well, There isn't one! I wear whatever I like. I am not very keen about my style when I go to work or when I'm at home. But I make sure to look presentable wherever I go.

Q: What are you going to do after this?
A: Work , or atleast pretend to while checking out new posts on the blogosphere

Q: What are your favourite movies?
A: Oh, There are wagon loads..
English - Erin Brockovich, A Beautiful Mind, Shawshank Redemption, A Few Good Men (More than anything I just love watching Tom Cruise open-mouthed, OH What a babe!), Little Rascals, Iron Man

Hindi - Chak De! India, Swades, Lagaan, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander, Andaz Apna Apna, Abhimaan

Telugu - All Jandhayala Classics, Godavari, Gundamma Katha, Missamma, Maya Bazaar.

Tamil - Nala Damayanthi, Mozhi, Abhiyum Naanum

Q: What are three cosmetic/makeup/perfume products that you can't live without?
A: There are no make-up goods without which I would die. I like using Eye Liner/Mascara only when dressed in a saree (if thats even considered as Makeup) , apart from that I never use "Make-up". But I love to wear perfume before I go out and my favorite is Eternity from CK.

Q: What inspires you?
A: The same thing that inspires a donkey! So Nothing actually , I'm a highly mood-dependent laid-back soul. So should I say, Good Mood? For a while, Obama's Opening Speech Quote "Pick ourselves up; dust ourselves off" was sounding cool, but not anymore!

Q: Give us three styling tips that always work for you:
A: Hahaha, I should be the last person on earth one should goto seeking advice on styling . But Anyways,

* Wear something that is comfortable as well as presentable (just satisfying one of these will not work). Pick colors that suit your skin tone and the occasion.
* Being a weird soul, I always look at a person's feet and judge them. Neat shoes/sandals always score!
* Keep Shopping with someone who can suggest good things to you and most importantly have fun!

Q: What do you do when you “have nothing to wear” (even though your closet’s packed)?
A: As I have to wear something, I empty the closet and dump everything on the ground. From the pile, I pickup the first thing that suits the occasion/place I'm going to and my mood. If time permits, shopping isn't a bad choice either...

Q: Coffee or tea?
A: Lets see..
Starbucks Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino (I know I know! that comes with loads of calories) - I very rarely have this but enjoy it to the core

OR

McDonalds - Vanilla MilkShake

OR

A strong home-made tea with a tbsp of milk and a tsp of sugar.

Q: What do you do when you are feeling low or terribly depressed?
A: Read couple of chapters of Shri Sai Satcharitra, Visit Baba temple, Talk to my mom, Cry it out (if its really thats depressing), Sleep over it - Definetely helps!
(Shri Sai Satcharitra is the Life Story of the Saint Shri Shirdi Sai Baba written by one his very dear devotees)

Q: What is the meaning of your name?
A: Quite Self-Explanatory - Its the name of Hindu Goddess for Wealth, Prosperity, Wisdom, Courage, etc - Which(Read Wisdom) I'm hoping she will bestow upon me sometime soon in the near future!

Q: Which other blogs you love visiting?
A: I love every blog I visit, each one is unique in its own way and Every blogger must be commended for all the efforts taken in creating new dishes/taking pics and posting about it! Not just that, they drop by other blogs to leave sweet footprints of their presence in the form of comments, which is even more generous!

Q: Favorite Dessert/Sweet?
A: There are loads. The ones I can remember as of now are - Kaju Kathli, Hot Jilebi, Paal Payasam & Poori Payasam (only the one mom makes), Sunnundalu, Bandar Laddoo, Pootharekulu, Ras Gulla, Chalimedi. Hmm, Did I miss anything? Just because I've mentioned a long list doesn't mean I gorge on these daily.. Its been a very long time since I've had any of these

Q: Favorite Season ?
A: Using the process of elimination
I hate Summer - Because of Sweat, Odor, Sun-burn and other obvious reasons.
I hate Winter - Because its too cold, and have to wear a coat every where you go, running nose and most importantly clean the frikkin car daily!
So, the favorite season is Fall (when in the US) and Monsoon (in India)

Q: What do you try to cook when you have cooking blues (When you feel real lazy to cook some thing)?
A: Subway Ki Jai Ho! OR if I HAVE TO COOK (Stress on HAVE to) then it would be Maggi (most obviously) or Semia Upma

Q: What is your funniest cooking disaster?
A: Have you heard of the saying "When you don't know what to cook, then Cook something you know" ( Chill guys! I just made up this saying )... When I shifted to a new apt last year, I took turns in cooking as my then roomie was quite particular about it. On one such unfortunate day of my cooking turn, I decided to try cooking something with Soya Chunks. When my room-mate came she noticed that I was working (really hard) with the chunks and asked if I had prepared something with it earlier and I said "No". It so happens that she didn't cook it earlier either (then babes, why stock 4 packs in the pantry - huh?! ).. Unfortunately, there was a guest too at our home (my roomie's friend had dropped in).. and the Soya Curry as expected turned out to be disastrous.. My roomie was very particular we shouldn't waste food and made sure we all ate that YUCKY Curry.. I pity the poor girl who had chosen such an unfortunate moment to drop by my home - Till Date, I hate Soya no matter how deliciously it is cooked or how nutritious it is!

Q: What is your comfort food?
A:
Choice A: Rice, Avakaya (Traditional Mango Pickle) and Mudda pappu (Plain Cooked Toor Dal) with a Dollop of Ghee.
Choice B: Rice, Gongura Pickle and raw onions
Choice C: Rice, Potato Fry and Tomato Dal
Choice D: Rice with any kind of Brinjal Curry
Answer is - All of the above

Q: What is the one dish that you love to make over and again?
A: I generally don't like to repeat my dishes, but would love to cook anything with Brinjaaaaaaaaaal over and over again.

Q: Which 3 places do you like to visit/vacation?
A: Why just three? that's totally unfair..

1. Kashmir & Ladakh
2. All of Italy
3. Egypt
I have a Bucket List myself of all the places I'd like to visit before I kick the bucket

Q: Which is your favorite International Cuisine?
A: I don't eat Int'l cuisines outside of home a lot, but I like Mexican and Italian. Haven't tasted others, so that would be injustice

Q: What is your Favorite Kitchen Tool?
A: I miss the Grinder from India , but current kitchen tool .. hmm, Microwave. (I know its an appliance, but still its my fav)

Q: What is your dream destination?
A: My dream journey must not have any destination So I'd like to cover every beautiful nook & corner of this world!

The rules require to pass on these awards to 8 or 10 other beautiful people, but every blogger I know has already received this award from someone else or has passed it on to me So I would request any blogger who hasn't got these awards to freely pick them from the blog. They are yours as much as they're mine

Have a Good day Guys!

Red Radish Curry

2009-08-07T13:53:00.008-04:00

The last two posts have been really long and mostly not related to food. Hari Chandana and Suparna have quite generously passed on couple of awards linked with a tag which I would be posting soon. I'm glad everyone enjoyed the Funny version of my experience in the last post and thanks for the words of encouragement on the sketch as well. I will keep posting sketches on related occasions.

Lazy mode has taken over me again which directly affects my cooking mood. All that we are eating is left-over curries and readymade parathas. That's the reason I'm posting something that has been dying to get out of drafts and be published. Being a picky eater, I limit myself to very few vegetables - and it gets boring to eat the same food again & again. Couple of weeks back while Grocery Shopping, I found a pack of Red Radishes. Quite rarely I use Radishes (White ones) in Sambar, but I read somewhere that the cute Red Radishes are not as strong in flavor as the white ones and not pungent as well! So I thought why not give it a try - I searched online for recipes using Red Radishes - but finally ended up making something of my own.. This is similar to how I make Beans/Cabbage, Just replace the Veggie - That's it!

Ingredients:
Red Radishes - Sliced/Chopped fine - 1 pack - Approx. had 30-35 Small Radishes
Green Chillies - 3 - Chopped Really Fine (Optional)
Onion - 1 medium - Chopped Fine
Garlic Pods - 2 to 3 - Chopped Fine
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp (Adjust as per your taste)
Dry Coconut Flakes - 2 tbsp
Oil

Tempering:
Mustard Seeds, Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp each
Chana Dal - 1 tsp
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Red Chillies - 4 to 5 (Optional)
Curry Leaves - 4 to 5 (Optional)
Cilantro - Chopped fine - 1 tbsp - For Garnish

Recipe:

*** It was such a pain in the @$$ to slice the Radishes, and I over-did it by slicing the radishes very thin (So thin, that the curry cannot be recognised by its appearance ). There is no need to peel the Radishes, just wash a couple of times under running water. If you are too particular, peel them - Its just too much work for me!

* In a pan, heat some oil and go ahead with the tempering.

* Next add chopped Garlic, Green Chillies and onions. Fry until Onions are translucent.

* Add Radishes and cover and cook for 5 mins. As I chopped these really fine, the radishes had become soft real soon.

* Once they are soft, add spices and seasoning and mix well. Add coconut powder/flakes and stir well.

* Garnish with Cilantro and Serve hot with Rice/Chapathi.

It takes about 5-8 mins to cook this curry (if you don't count the time to chop the veggies) which is pretty quick! Finally, I was satisfied with what I tasted and wouldn't mind trying it again.

Enjoy your weekend guys! I'm already yawning at work

A Review, A Thali & A Sketch

2009-08-02T23:40:00.008-04:00

I know the Title looks kind of weird - that's because I have grouped three different things into one post. Have you ever been to a restaurant where you were disgusted with every aspect? If yes, Welcome me to the Gang! If not, here's my dukh bhari kahani...

After a long tiring day of shopping (Yes shopping can be fun and tiring as well ) - my roomie and I went to an Indian Restaurant close to my home (our first time there!) after having heard good reviews from my colleagues about it. So here's what happened...

Ding Dong ...

Enter the Dragon.. A bit confused with the lighting and seating The lights were not good enough for people to sit and eat. We waited for 2-3 minutes at the door (ah well, there was no reception) and a service gal walks to us and asks us to sit wherever we wish to. Very well, Very well.

When I sat at one of the seats, the uncle at the next table gave me a serious look. I thought may be he didn't like my face , but when they left and the next couple occupied I understood why. The back-rest of the seats were common, so when one sits the other gets disturbed How Pathetic can the seating get?!

Okay, Okay - Lets move on. Sweet Service Gal comes again and says - "Here's your menu" - Hands out two printouts and leaves. The VC++ Code that I had written with so much hatred during my lab exams in Engg was much longer and printed on a better paper. It was tough to read with those extremely dim lights. Meanwhile, Service Gal was back again.. with you know what? Plastic Cups with Plastic Fork and Spoon in it and a Paper Napkin pushed into the cup.

Ignoring that as well, we squinted at the Menu and finally ordered a Thali (Limited) along with a plate of Masala Vada as we were quite hungry and started to discuss how economical the restaurant is as compared to the other Indian Restaurants in the locality.

Enter the Dracula aka Masala Vada.. It looked more like a handful of Chana Dal glued together using Fevicol and then Deep fried. I tried cutting with my Plastic Fork that almost broke, with my fingers that started to pain and with my teeth that began to ache after a while - but "yeh tho Fevicol ka jod hai... toote ga nahin". If I threw it out of the window, it would have shattered the glass pane and also three car windows if parked adjacently. We returned it calmly and that was replaced with Medhu Vada or more appropriately "Oily Semi-fried Batter". There was uncooked Batter Inside and Oil Dripping on the Outside, With the Oil squeezed I could have cooked a day's meal - No exaggeration!

OK, OK - No Prob. Main Course is still waiting...

Enter the Thali..

On a tray, there was a Paper Plate (yes, you read it right) along with 8 plastic cups that kids play with. I'm not sure about you guys - But I have never been served in a Paper Plate at a Restaurant unless its one of the busiest hotels in town with a heavy in-flow of customers. But, Yello! No such scene at this restaurant. Getting past that, we had our oil-dripping-puri with a mediocre-curry, and I don't know what the next curry was.. because it was Stale! We returned it, and the owner came to us and demanded... "Its not Stale, Who said its Stale.. We cooked it just now.. Its not Stale.. What you want in exchange? Tell me." ... We said "Nothing". Even a kid would have noticed that it was Stale, A Demanding personality cannot make it untrue. The worst part of the meal was Rasam - which was plain water with Cilantro floating on top. The Yogurt was from the nearby American Grocery Store. The Sambar was the only thing that was on par with the normal eating standards. After cursing the lady who suggested this restaurant, we left the place still a bit hungry.

Although, I don't expect every restaurant to cook fresh food day-in, day-out - For the money they charge, I wouldn't expect them to serve Stale food and worse of all .. defend it! This was one of the most disgusting food experiences I have ever had at an Indian Restaurant. I hated the concept of plastic cups/cutlery being used to save money on dishwasher liquid - Think what you are dumping into the Earth, you morons! Also, we are no fools to spend 20 bucks on stale food. If someone gave me a gift certificate to visit that restaurant or if it was the last meal I would ever be offered.. I would happily let it pass.

Although I don't proud myself as a good cook, after that experience .. I can surely say I'm much better. Here's what I cooked for Varalakshmi Vratham (And Nope, I didn't do the Pooja - Festivals are just another reason to eat good food for us single souls!) - All the Items were quite simple, but they were much better than the re-heated food at the restaurants.

In Clockwise direction..

Appadam/Papad
Pickle
Sundal
Plain White Rice
Cabbage Peas Curry
Plaintain Bajji
Corn Vada
Lemon Rice (in the center)
Yogurt (Right of the plate)
Chana Dal Payasam (To the left of the plate)

I didn't have a single Photo/Idol of Goddess Lakshmi at home for the Pooja, so I decided to draw one .. Here's the result..Hope you guys like it.. (Remember, I'm still an amatuer artist) - Also, please excuse the Bad photography..

Sorry about the long post - 2nd in a row! Will plan on cutting short from the next posts! It's Monday again, Boohoo

Rava Dosa & Mogambo Khush Hui!

2009-07-30T17:45:00.008-04:00

Why "Mogambo Khush Hui" will be discussed later, but for now lets talk about Rava Dosa. This is my favorite of all the Dosas and I don't miss on ordering this at Restaurants. I love it when my mom makes, and during the first couple of weeks here in the US - I felt like eating Rava Dosa and used a Readymade Mix and it was a disaster Then I called up mom next day and asked her for a detailed recipe and after that it was a huge hit. Lessons Learnt!

Ingredients

Semolina/Sooji - 1 Cup
Rice Flour - 1 Cup
Maida/All Purpose Flour - 1/2 Cup
Curd/Yogurt - 2 tbsp
Cumin Seeds/Jeera - 1 tsp
Green Chillies - 4-5 Chopped fine
Oil, Salt and Water as Required

Recipe:

* Mix Sooji, Rice Flour, Maida well. Add Yogurt, Cumin Seeds, Green Chillies and Salt. Pour a little water and mix well to get consistency that is thinner than Dosa Batter. Set aside for 30 mins

* Heat a Griddle and pour the batter. The trick is to pour the batter from outside to inside. When pouring the batter, set the stove to high.. but after drizzling oil on the corners.. reduce the flame to medium and let it cook until the bottom becomes crisp.

* Flip and Cook on the other side. Remove and Serve Hot along with any Chutney or Kaaram Podi (Spiced Powder).

My favorite combination for Rava Dosa is with Onion-Tomato Chutney which is extremely easy to make.

In a tbsp of oil, fry 5-6 red chillies and a min later cubed onions. When they are soft, add cubed tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes have a brown shade on allsides. Let cool for a while. Add salt & grind to a smooth paste. Add tempering if you wish to. This goes well with Dosas and Idlies as well.

This is my entry to Padma's Dosa Corner Event along with Erra Kaaram Dosa. Sorry I will not be able to send more Dosa entries as my Blender has "Kicked The Bucket" and it cannot work for more than 2 mins

Mogambo Khush Hui ... bcoz its my first award ever... YaY! I've been presented 'Kreativ Blogger Award' by the very creative Viki and Jisha. Thanks a lot ladies - It really means a lot to me

Rules (Ahem! Very hard to follow coz I'm a rule breaker)

1. You must mention the person who has given you the award.

2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.

3. Link to the person who has nominated you for the award.

4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.

5. Nominate 7 other Kreativ Bloggers.

6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.

7. Leave a comment on which of the blogs to let them know they have been nominated.

Here's a confession - I started this blog not out of interest to showcase my recipes or any other stuff like that, but used this as a diversion to get out of something very serious that was happening in my life. I then became kind of addicted to this blog, and started to give more and more attention towards the Blog template, photos, etc. Now that I've put my past behind - this blog has become my passion and I always look forward on posting something new/different and excitedly wait for those lovely comments you people drop in

Few things about me that might "Interest" you..

1. Lets start off with the Negatives : I get irritated very easily at small things people do (like slurping coffee, eating open-mouthed, dragging feet or even laughing out loud like Gabbar Singh). I was extremely short-tempered during college, but I control it better now. I'm also a very messy person, but I do make sure to clean atleast once a week. I am a bit sensitive and at times take anything said to heart

2. I'm a devout person, and a believer in Destiny. I feel that God is within oneself, and I always think of him before anything I do and don't forget to thank him after its done. I also don't buy the concept of People declaring themselves as "God". I have utmost belief in the saying "Whatever Happens, Happens for the Good"

3. I started to cook when I was 21 (so 4 yrs ago). I am a person with weird food habits. I don't eat certain Chocolates, Olives, Beetroot, Bitter Gourd, Ginger, Bottle Gourd, Don't like tomatoes on subs(makes it soggy), Tofu, Broccoli, Mushrooms. I don't drink Tea/Coffee/ Hot Milk - but use milk for cereals . I'm very fast in the kitchen and I love to multi-task. Standing at one place and stirring continously is not my cuppa tea. I'm also very keen on chopping veggies perfectly and making chapatis round.

4. My interests keep changing very often. I used to draw when I was a kid, and then learnt Carnatic Vocal & Veena for 6 years. Though I don't practice Veena anymore, I sing/croak quite often in the bathroom or while cooking and scare off my roomie. I don't like to sing in public though (Scared that tomatoes/eggs/chappals would be thrown at me ) I am back to sketching now, but not sure how long this would last and I have no clue what's next.. I'm thinking.. Violin, May be?

5. I am an extremely light sleeper. Its tough - because even the slightest sound can disturb me in my deepest slumber. I rarely sleep at nights during weekends - I read/sketch/clean/watch movies and by the time I sleep its 5 or 6 AM. I HATE to wake up early (especially during weekends) and I'm always late to work .. Another weird thing about me is.. I feel hungry, as soon as I brush. So generally when mom cooks, I brush my teeth as soon as she finishes cooking

6. Just like every other girl I love to shop! Although I try to control my temptations, I land up buying something or the other every time I'm at a mall. I hate Window Shopping and I freak out if someone I'm shopping with takes more than 3 hrs to select a thing! I love anything thats Black - I have lots of Sarees, Dresses, Trousers, Shirts even Footwear in Black (Ahem, The Blog Template's background is black too - Now you know why )

7. I love to be independent and live life on my own terms - That explains why I'm still single . I'm pretty confident in whatever I do/speak and my parents say I've got good will-power (can be both good & bad). And any guy who says Girls don't make good drivers can take that back, because I'm a very good driver! ** As certified by lots of people.

Sorry for blowing my trumpets so hard.. It must have been a very long read! Now, to pass on this award to other blogger friends... Please accept this award!

Ashwini - Ashwini's Spicy Cuisine
Anu Sriram - Chandrabhaga
Malar - Kitchen Tantra
Priya - Priya's Easy & Tasty Recipes
Shri - Tasty Touch
Sowmya - Creative Saga
Suparna - Food Fascination

Just one more day for the weekend, So hang in there ladies!

Pizza Hut? No, Thank You!

2009-07-27T12:46:00.009-04:00

Why go to Pizza Hut, when you can have everything you order there right at home? I don't know a soul who doesn't love Bread Sticks. My SIL goes to Pizza Hut, not to eat Pizza but for the Bread Sticks. I tried Bread Sticks at a few Italian Restaurants and Pizza places and I must say I liked them all. So I thought, why waste 20-30 bucks at the restaurant when you can re-create the same platter at home? After a lot of search I found Dry Yeast and was longing to try something with it. Then I came across this website while searching for Bread Sticks recipes. Here's presenting my weekend meal - Pizza, Bread Sticks and Coke (Zero )

For the Pizza, I used ready-made Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Pizza Crust, and used Trader Joe's Pizza Sauce. Added Peppers, Onions, tomatoes, Jalapenos and topped off with cheese. Baked for 20 mins at 425F and Tada.. Pizza Ready!

For the Bread Sticks

Ingredients: (Makes about 6 sticks)

2 1/2 cups - All Purpose Flour
1 tbsp - Sugar
1 tsp - Salt
1 tsp - Yeast
1 cup - Water
Half Stick butter (melted)
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp

2 tbsp - Parmesan Cheese
1/2 tsp - Pepper Powder
1 tsp - Herbs (I had dried Oregano, Parsley and Basil)
1/2 tsp - Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp - Red Chilli Flakes (Optional)

Recipe:

* Mix Flour, Sugar, Salt, Yeast well. Add melted butter and water and knead well. If you have a bread mixer then great! I had a tough time with the Original Ingredient's measures, and had to add flour/butter to get it to the right consistency. The perfect kneaded mixture must be similar to Chapati dough, but a little more softer.

* Roll out using some flour into long strips of desired size and keep aside for 45 mins.

* Brush some Olive Oil over the sticks and bake for 15-18 mins in a pre-heated oven at 400F. Test using a tooth-pick.

* Remove and cool for a while. Meanwhile mix Cheese, Pepper, Herbs, Garlic Powder (Rub Chopped Garlic over bread if you don't have powder) and Red Chilli Flakes (optional).

* Brush the bread sticks with some olive oil and sprinkle the cheese mixture on top. Serve hot along with some Sauce and Pizza to follow, and Coke to clean off :-D

You might ask why all the fuss, why not order from Pizza Hut.. But this saves lot of money and more importantly Calories! The Bread Sticks tasted more like the ones from Olive Garden rather than Pizza Hut, but atleast my first experiment with Yeast did not let me down - I'm happy about that

Hope you guys had a wonderful weekend, and are slogging it out at work as I am

Black Bean Enchilada - Tried & Tasted!

2009-07-23T14:59:00.006-04:00

Here's my entry to 'Tried and Tasted' currently hosted by Ashwini, and originally started by Zlamushka. Asha's blog has been picked for this month and when I went through the numerous wonderful recipes she had posted, my eyes instantly fell upon this recipe and I had to try it. I had already cooked Enchilada earlier and absolutely loved it, and that urged me even more to try this Black Bean Enchilada from Asha's Blog.

Ingredients: (Serves 2 to 3)

Flour Tortillas - 4
Grated Cheese - 1/2 cup
Salt

Filling:
Black Beans - 1 can
Onion - 1/2 medium size - chopped fine
Green Chillies - 3 to 4 - Chopped fine (Optional)
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Cilantro - 1 tsp
Red Pepper - 1/2 Large Size - chopped fine **
Amchur Powder - 1/2 tsp **
Salt

Sauce:

Tomatoes - 4 small - chopped fine
Red Onion - 1/2 medium - chopped fine
Red Pepper - 1/2 medium - chopped fine
Garlic Pods - 4 - chopped fine
Red Chillies - 5 to 6 (soaked in warm water)
Dried Basil & Oregano - 1/2 tsp each
Salt & Olive Oil

Recipe:

* Mash Beans and mix well with onions, pepper, chillies, cilantro salt and seasoning.

* Toast the Tortillas on a griddle.

* Place about 3 tbsp of mixture in the center of tortillas and fold both the ends towards the center. Repeat the process for the rest of the tortillas. You may also sprinkle cheese before closing the tortillas.

* In a a baking dish, spread some enchilada sauce and place the tortillas. Pour remaining sauce on top and sprinkle grated cheese.

* In a pre-heated (350F) oven, bake for about 20-25 mins or until the cheese bubbles. Serve hot.
Sauce Recipe:

* Heat Olive oil in a pan and add minced garlic. Next add onions, red peppers and saute until a golden brown color comes up on the onions.

* Add tomatoes; cover and cook until the tomatoes are soft and mushy. Add Oregano & Basil and cook for few more mins. Add salt.

* Grind the above along with Red chillies (soaked in warm water for 30 mins) to a fine paste. Water can be added

* In a hot pan, let this paste cook until you get the correct consistency. Make sure its not very thick.

I know there a couple of variations from the Original recipe. I didn't have all the ingredients in hand, and wanted to try with whatever was available. The pics are bad as well, better pics next time :-)

This dish is also off to 'My Legume Love Affair - 13' hosted by Sunshinemom, conceptualised by Susan

Baingan Bharta

2009-07-20T12:00:00.007-04:00

I have been wanting to try this recipe since a very long time, and finally got the time (and mood) to do it. I followed VahChef's recipe for this and adjusted Spice & Seasoning.

Ingredients:

1 Large Eggplant
4 medium tomatoes - Chopped finely
1 Large Onion - Chopped finely
1/2 Cup Green Peas (I used frozen)
5-6 Green Chillies - Chopped Finely (Adjust accdly)
1 tsp of Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp of Corriander Powder
1/2 tsp of Cumin Powder
1/2 tsp of Garam Masala
1 tsp of Cumin Seeds
1 tsp of Ginger Garlic Paste
Salt & Oil

Recipe:

* Make Vertical Slits on the Eggplant and apply oil. Heat on a Stove Top (if using a gas stove) or you can use Oven (Broil for 20-25 mins). I didn't want my kitchen to heat up so I burnt the Eggplant over a gas stove (Although it meant a lot of scrubbing later on). Keep turning the Eggplant to evenly cook on all sides. Takes about 20 mins or so.

* Meanwhile, in a pan - heat oil and add cumin seeds. When it splutters add green chillies, ginger garlic paste and chopped onions. Add little salt, and cook till onions are transluscent.

* Next add in some tomatoes and cover and cook until the tomatoes become soft. Add all the spices and a little salt. When oil starts to seperate, add peas and cook for a few more mins.

* When the eggplant is done, peel off the skin and mash. A perfectly cooked eggplant will be very easy to mash. Add this to the pan, and cook till all the spices are well absorbed by the eggplant. Adjust spices and seasoning if required.

* You can also squeeze some lemon into this before serving. Garnish with freshly chopped Corriander Leaves and serve hot with Pulkhas/Chapatis.

This is my entry to Sanghi's "FIL-Brinjal"

Also Reposting,

Eggplant Parmesan

Vankaya Kothimira Kaaram (Brinjal with Cilantro) and

Stuffed Brinjal

P.S: Last post I mentioned about how excited I was to watch a Harry Potter movie on screen. I must say all the excitement has been washed away with the disappointment the movie has left. I loved the first four films, and although Book 5 and 6 (Order of Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince resp) aren't really my favorites - I wanted the movie to stick to the book and mainly the Wizardry. A detailed review is available on my other blog.

This is on its way to Viki's "Side Dish for Chapati" Event.

Majjiga Pulusu (Yogurt Gravy)

2009-07-17T11:41:00.006-04:00

'Majjiga Pulusu' is a simple dish with subtle flavors. There are numerous ways of making this pulusu and the one posted here is my mom's version. At home Majjiga Pulusu was always served with a Patoli/Usili - they are kind of made for each other :-) . Some of the most obvious combinations are Tomato Pappu - Alu curry; Avakaya - Putnala Podi and similarly Majjiga Pulusu with Cluster Beans Patoli. The food I relish is highly mood-dependent. I might not have the same liking for a dish a month later and my mom had to bear with all my food-tantrums :)

When I first tried Majjiga Pulusu it was not because I loved it, but because we had lots of yogurt left out at home and we were bored of eating Curd-Rice. I made some and took it to my brother's apt. My brother is also not a big fan of this like me, but it was a hit with his roomie. He went for second and third serving as well :D. One of my old roomies also loves this a lot. I will post the Patoli/Usili Recipe later, but here goes Majjiga Pulusu.

Ingredients:

Yogurt - 1 can (approx 3-4 cups of thick yogurt)
Okra/bendakaya - 10-15 - Cut into 1-inch pieces
Corriander Seeds/Dhania - 3 tbsps
Cumin Seeds/Jeera - 1 tbsp
Toor Dal/Kandipappu - 1 tbsp
Chana Dal/Senagapappu - 1 tbsp
Green chillies - 5
Ginger - 1 inch piece (peeled and chopped)
Dry Coconut - 2 tbsp
Salt
Oil

Tempering
Curry Leaves - 5-7
Mustard Seeds/Avaalu - 1/2 tsp
Jeera - 1/2 tsp

Recipe:

* Soak the Corriander Seeds, Cumin, Toor Dal and Chana for 30-40 mins.

* Grind the soaked seeds along with Green chillies, Ginger and Dry Coconut into a thick paste. Add water if necessary. Do not make the paste runny.

* In a wok, pour in some water and add the paste to the water and bring to a boil on a medium flame.

* In a different pan, add oil and later Mustard and Cumin Seeds. Once they finish dancing add the Curry leaves and Okra. Make sure the Okra has been washed, cut and dried.

* Dilute the yogurt with water. The perfect consistency would be similar to a Dosa Batter. Add the yogurt to the first wok with the boiling paste. Set the flame to medium and let the yogurt simmer. Add salt as per taste.

* The Okra must be slightly brown on all sides and when done transfer this to the cooking yogurt. Taste and adjust. If the Pulusu goes too watery, adjust by adding some thick yogurt to equate the consistency.

Tips:
* Don't let Yogurt boil for too long. It becomes watery.
* Add salt just before adding the Okra.

I can never eat Majjiga Pulusu by itself. This always has to be accompanied by Plain Dal or kandipappu pachadi (Toor Dal Chutney). We used to build a well with rice and dal and my mom used to serve the Pulusu within the "Well". I used to play with it and then eat after I get a glare from my mom.. hehe :D

P.S : This recipe was in my draft for over 2 months, and I finally decided on posting it :-D. Last weekend has been very tiring, and the effect of which has been on the weekdays where all I do is doze off at the slightest possibility :-D.

Hey! I'm also going to watch Harry Potter tonight! So super-excited for my first Potter movie on screen. The mixed reviews I heard has not deterred my excitement even by a bit. Potter ki Jai Ho! ;-)

Bagara Baingan

2009-07-10T23:57:00.003-04:00

I've mentioned a couple of times that Eggplant/Brinjal is my favorite veggie and I don't mind eating it in any form. Being a Hyderabadi, there are a variety of dishes that I had tasted at various weddings, functions, gatherings etc. and there were few definite items on the menu that were signature dishes of Hyderabad. I have never been to a wedding reception that doesn't serve Biryani, Mirchi ka Salan or Bagara Baingan. Even while eating out, I like to choose this dish over others for the pure heavenly taste. I never knew how to cook this until I came to US. Thanks to one of old roomies - I learnt this dish and I simply love the taste!

Ingredients

Brinjals - 10
Peanuts - 1 cup
Sesame Seeds - 1/2 cup
Coconut Powder - 1/3 cup
Tamarind - lime size ball
Green Chillies - 4 to 5 finely chopped
Onions - 2 medium - finely chopped
Jaggery - 1 tsp (Substitute with Sugar)
Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Corriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Oil
Tempering : Cumin Seeds, Mustard Seeds, Turmeric
Whole Masala : 1 Bay Leaf, couple of cardamom, 3 cloves, an inch long piece of cinnamon.

Recipe:

* Dry roast peanuts, sesame seeds and sesame seeds. Blend together to make a coarse paste.

* Slit brinjals keeping the stem intact. Fry these in oil (Traditionally, brinjal is deep fried - but I shallow fried these)

* In a pan, heat oil - add Whole Garam Masala, Cumin Seeds. After they splutter, add green chillies, onions, GG paste, tumeric - little salt and cook for a while.

* When the onions are light brown, add all the spice powders and add water to required consistency.

* Now add the ground paste, and let boil for a while stirring intermittently. Add jaggery and tamarind juice to the gravy. Cook on a medium flame. Adjust salt.

* Once the gravy gets thick, and the oil seperates - add the fried brinjals to the gravy and cook for a minute.

* Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot. Tastes great with Biryanis, Pulao or even plain rice!

Bagara Baingan is trotting off to..

~ Sanghi's "FIL-Brinjal"
~ "JFI-Peanuts", hosted at Cook's HideOut and conceptualized by Indira of Mahanandi and
~ "Think Spice-Think Sesame Seeds" guest hosted by Pj of Seduce your tastebuds, event started by Sunita.

Bean Ball Sandwich/Sub

2009-07-09T16:10:00.011-04:00

I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with the comedy TV Series F.R.I.E.N.D.S. I simply LOVE the show and adore the characters. I still keep watching the same episodes again and again on youtube when I have nothing better to do or even otherwise :-D. Although my favorite character is the King of Sarcasm, Chandler Bing (potrayed by Matthew Perry) - the cutest character on the show is definetely Joey's. And one who was watched the series can associate Joey with Food and Women. Lets focus on the former for now :-)

Joey's favorite sandwich is a Meat Ball Sub and as I don't eat meat - I have no clue of its taste. I had earlier posted about Spaghetti with Bean Balls, and mentioned about couple of balls and sauce leftover. I made a sandwich with these , a veggie-version of Joey's fav sandwich precisely :-) . Its quite simple and will make a great breakfast to kick-start a lazy weekend, or as dinner during weeknights.

Ingredients (Serves - 1)

Bread - 2 Slices (I used wheat)
Bean Balls - 1 (Recipe Here)
Spaghetti Sauce or Any other Sauce - 1 tbsp
Grated Cheese - 1 tbsp
Salt/Pepper - if required

Recipe:

Method 1: Toast Bread. Microwave Balls. Spread Sauce over Bread, half the balls, sprinkle grated cheese and enjoy!

Method 2: Lightly Toast Bread. Arrange Sauce and Balls over bread, and broil in pre-heated oven for 5 mins until the cheese melts. Remember to turn sides or else you would be reminded of MJ's 'Black or White' Song :-D

Note: If you have a Hot Dog Bun or a Dinner Roll, you can use 2-3 balls to make this a heavy meal. If you're Late-Latif like me, follow the first Method, Grab your sandwich and enjoy while you drive. If you have ample time - follow Method 2 and dig into it!

Serve along with a glass of juice for a good filling breakfast! Off this goes as my entry to Divya's 'Show me your Breakfast' Event.

This is one of my most fav scenes from FRIENDS (there are tons of others)

Maggi Noodles - Spiced up!

2009-07-07T11:34:00.008-04:00

I'm sure this is a staple breakfast thats made at every Indian household. I lived by myself at Hyderabad for a couple of years, and being the ever-lazy person I am - I took every opputunity to gobble up packs of Maggi. Be it a weeknight meal, or to satisfy hunger pangs at 2 in the morning, a brunch on weekend - My first choice is always Maggi. There was a time when I cooked Maggi so often that, my mom thought that it was the only thing I ever ate.

So, because I'm posting about a very common dish - you might expect there might be something different with the way I cook. Well, there isn't. There are n-versions of how this can be made. Microwave it, boil it, upma-style maggi, yada-yada-yada! Somehow, I'm not a big fan of plain simple maggi - it looks very dull to me. I like my food to be colorful, and my mom made it with lots of veggies. When I took over cooking, I made sure it was very spicy. Couple of friends used to come over, and we gossiped all through the night with bowls of Spicy Maggi and steaming hot Soups. There's always space for Maggi even after a meal :-D

Ingredients: (Serves 2-3)

Veggies - 1 Onion, Half a Carrot chopped, Few Peas, Handful of Beans, a small Capsicum - Sliced (I'm very particular in using just these veggies - You can add any other if you wish to)
Green Chillies - 2 to 3 - sliced (Optional)
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Salt & Oil
Maggi Double Pack

Recipe:

* In a pan, heat some oil - add green chillies (if you wish to), and then the veggies.

* Saute for a while until the veggies are soft. Add salt and red chilli powder.

* Next add the Masala powder, and add water as instructed. When it reaches to a boil, add the noodles and cook until the noodles are soft.

* Top off with some tomato ketchup and eat when hot.

I still remember, some of my unlucky friends/roommates (who don't eat as much as spice as I do) who have ended up with watery eyes, pink noses and steam coming out of their ears after eating this - They don't mind my warnings about the spice level, which has been brought down considerably - although it might still be spicy to a lot of people.

I have tried couple of other Veggie Variations provided by Maggi Noodles, but Masala is the best one available. This goes off as an entry to Divya's 'Show me your breakfast' event.

Sunny Days Are Here Again...

2009-07-05T23:28:00.013-04:00

June is supposed to be the start of Summer in this part of the world - but the sunny days in June could have be counted on fingers. It was all rain and no fun - and even though I love rain, it was just getting a little too gloomy. With the weather forecast looking hopeful this weekend, we stopped all our cribbing-about-rain and set out to visit Martha's Vineyard - an island close-by. Although I've been living in Massachusetts for over 2 years now, I never got to visit Cape Cod and its beaches and this weekend was the time when I could strike it off from my To-Visit List. Here are a few snippets from the Visit..

A Rose is a rose is a rose..

A lovely sunny day..

Nope! That wasn't a crash - Just two boats crossing each other (Poor pic Quality)

Two Best friends that never meet ... Water and Sky

Wouldn't it be lovely to live here...

and wake up everyday to see this...

where water is this pristine..

The Island was beautiful and it was quite refreshing to get away from all the traffic for a while. We drove for an hour, took a ferry to reach the island and the best part of the trip was to get to see most of the Island on bike. The Island had 6 towns and we went around to see three of them. The houses in these towns were very artistic and unique. We did a lot of biking, about 14-15 miles precisely and a little walking (1-2 miles) - so you can imagine the state of my body (one which recognizes exercise as walking from parking lot to office/home). It was great to get back on a bike after 13 years, and I was quite apprehensive if I would be able to bike even a mile without letting gravity fail me. I wish the weekend was a little longer, to get me out of my cramps and body aches. But unfortunately - All Bad Things start on Monday, so its back to work tomorrow :-(

To perfectly seal the weekend, we went to see a fireworks display close to my home tonight and it was amazing. Sadly, I couldn't take any pics as I left my cam at home.

BTW - This is my 50th post! I never ever thought I would even reach this small milestone (for a person who gets bored very easily). Now that I've reached here, I wish to cross a few more milestones at my own steady pace. Hope you guys had a great weekend!

Spaghetti with Bean Balls - For the Veggie Souls!

2009-07-02T11:44:00.008-04:00

Being a Vegetarian, there are not many options while eating out (if not at an Indian restaurant) and not being a fan of Tofu (Read as Thai) doesn't help either. The interest to cook something different always helps at such times. One dish that I keep hearing or seeing on menus quite often is 'Spaghetti with Meat Balls'. There are not many restaurants that serve Spaghetti without Meat sauce/Balls (Infact none, in my locality).

Having heard about it so much, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I decided to cook Spaghetti with Balls, but was not very keen on prepping Veggie Balls (I'm a very picky eater and have combinations cut out in my mind on what has to be eaten with what). Then I came across this site, and liked the Idea of Bean Balls. Beans are definetely healthy, and with all the Indian spices I have - its easy to bring in the spice/taste required.

Ingredients:

Wheat Spaghetti - Read Instruction on box to know how to cook and serving size.

For the Balls (Makes 8 medium sized Balls)
Black Beans - 1 can (Can be substituted with Kidney Beans, Garbanzo or any other bean - If using dry beans, soak in water for 8 hrs & pressure cook before use)
Red Onion - 1 medium - finely chopped
Wheat Bread - 2 slices - corners removed
Green Chillies - 3 - finely chopped (Optional)
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Dry Mango Powder/Amchur - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp
Italian seasoned Bread Crumbs
Salt as required

For the Sauce
Tomatoes - 4 - finely chopped
Red Onion - 1 medium - finely chopped
Garlic Pods - 4 - finely chopped
Red Chilli flakes - As fiery as you need
Dried Oregano - 1 tsp
Dried Parsley - 1 tsp
Tomato Ketchup/Sauce - 3 tbsp (Optional - Add if you prefer a tangy tasting sauce)
Salt as required
Olive Oil - 1/2 tbsp

Recipe:

* Get Started with Balls - Clean and drain black beans. Save the water that has been used to clean. Mash beans, add onions, crumbled bread, chillies, spices and salt. Knead well and make balls. Roll over in bread crumbs and place in a Muffin Tray or on a Cooking Sheet. Brush lightly with olive oil. Preheat oven at 350F, and bake for 23-25 mins. Remember to turn the balls after 10-12 mins. Let cool for a while when done.

* Making Sauce - In a pan, add olive oil - Garlic and chilli flakes. After 30 seconds, add onions and fry until golden brown. Next add the tomatoes and salt. Cook covered until the tomatoes are mushy. You can add tomato sauce/ketchup if you prefer more tangy taste. Add the water that was used to clean beans to get to the consistency you prefer. The sauces needs to cook for 30-35 mins. 10 mins before bringing down the sauce, add oregano and parsley (adding these earlier might result in a bitter taste). For the Lazy Souls - Spaghetti sauce is available in grocery stores (Carefully pick your sauce, because most of them have a high sugar content)

* Cook Pasta as instructed on the box. (Generally takes about 8 minutes for tender cooked pasta)

To plate it : On a serving plate, place the spaghetti and then the balls. Top off with generous quantity of sauce. Garnish with dried oregano and parsley. You can sprinkle some cheese if you wish to - but I was looking to have a healthy delicious meal and so avoided it.

Spaghetti with Bean Balls is my entry to Madhuram's 'Low Fat Eggless Baking' and 'My Legume Love Affair - 13' hosted by Sunshinemom, conceptualised by Susan.

I made this for dinner last weekend, and it was a very heavy meal. I had couple of bean balls left out with which I made a Bean Ball Sub - Recipe, Coming Soon.. ! I would suggest having this for lunch rather than dinner, but as it doesn't have any high calorie content as such, guess it should be fine... Its a 3-day weekend here in the US, but the frikkin rain is not playing a Good sport here in Mass. - Have a great weekend, guys!

Reminiscing Rava Laddoo

2009-06-30T21:48:00.004-04:00

Its raining 'Rava Laddoos' everywhere today - and the reason for that is the Indian Cooking Challenge, a great concept started by Srivalli. As a mock-run, Rava Laddoo was decided as the first challenge to be posted today, and here's my version. (I had already posted the recipe earlier, and this is just a re-post)

Ingredients:

Semolina/Rava/Sooji - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup (Adjust as per your taste-buds)
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Cashews & Raisins - As many as you want!
Cardamom Powder (optional)
Shredded Coconut - 1/3 cup ( I had used Frozen Coconut & it still tasted good!)
Milk

Recipe:

* Heat Ghee in a Pan and add the Cashews. Once they are brownish, add raisins and remove them once the raisins are puffed.

* In the ghee left out, add Rava and fry until you get a nice aroma. Turn off the stove and let it cool for a few mins.

* Grind the rava and Sugar together and make a fine powder.

* Take the Rava - Sugar Powder in a bowl and add the fried Cashews, Raisins; Cardamom Powder and Shredded Coconut.

* Add little milk at a time and keep making balls using your palm. Store in an air-tight container. Refrigerate for a longer life.

Alu Capsicum

2009-06-30T11:55:00.007-04:00

I have seen 'Singing Families', 'Acting Families' before, but I guess my family can be categorized as the 'Cooking family'. Dad, mom, brother & I - all enjoy cooking, and now my SIL has joined the league too! Although dad doesn't cook quite often as the rest of us do, whenever or whatever he does - it ends up very tasty. One such dish was the Alu Capsicum curry that he introduced to us. My mom makes Curry Powder at home, and it makes a very good substitute for Chilli powder. Spice freaks like me, can enjoy the combination of Curry powder along with Chilli powder. Here are the recipes for both the Curry Powder as well as Alu Capsicum Curry...

Ingredients for Curry Powder

Chana Dal (Senagapappu) - 1 Cup
Urad Dal (Minapappu) - 1 Cup
Whole Red Chillies - 20
Dry Coconut Powder or Flakes - 3 tbsp
Oil to fry

Recipe:

* Fry the first three ingredients in a tsp of oil until golden brown. A wonderful aroma comes out from the fried lentils. Take off from flame and cool for a while.

* Grind the above to a coarse powder along with Coconut Powder.

* Store in an air tight container and use as and when required. I use this powder, when I'm bored of the basic cooking. Love the taste when added to potatoes, brinjals and capsicum. I haven't experimented so far by adding it to any other veggies.

Ingredients for Alu Capsicum Curry: (Serves 4 to 6)

Potatoes - 4 Peeled & sliced length-wise
Capsicum - 5 Deseeded & sliced length-wise (If using Bell Peppers, you can limit the quantity to 3)
Curry Powder - 2 tsp (Adjust accordingly)
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp (Optional)
Salt
Oil
Pinch of turmeric
For Tempering : A tsp of mustard seeds, A tsp of Cumin seeds, few Curry Leaves and a couple of Red Chillies.

Recipe:

* In a pan, heat oil and get started with the tempering.

* Add the Potatoes and turmeric, cover and cook for about 5-6 mins on medium flame.

* When the potatoes are half-cooked, add capsicum and cover and cook for few more mins. Unfortunately, all I get here in the US are Bell Peppers and the curry gets soggy because of their high water content :-(

* Add salt, chilli powder and Curry Powder and stir well. For a crispy finish, fry for some more time turning occassionally. Tastes great when served hot with Rice.

This is off to "AFAM - Bell Peppers" guest hosted by Priya, and originally started by Maheshwari and "JFI - Chillies" a brain child of Mahanandi, currenty hosted at Cardamom along with couple of my previous entries...

Stuffed Capsicum in a spicy gravy

and Tortilla Roll-ups

Varugu Pulusu/Vathal Kuzhambu

2009-06-29T17:27:00.009-04:00

Varugu Pulusu (also known as Vathal Kuzhambu in Tamil) is a very common dish at my household. Varugu or Vathal are sundried veggies. Personally, I'm not a big fan of anything that's sour or extremely tangy (exception being: Pulihora or tamarind rice). Leftover dishes are generally not eaten at my home, but one dish that my mom didn't mind keeping over the night was this Varugu Pulusu. That's because the taste gets better the next day. I'm not sure if we can eat the varugu - I always reserve a corner of my plate for them just as I do for chillies, cilantro, curry leaves, etc... and when full - they go directly to the trash.

During my last trip to India, I visited Chennai - where I bought lot of goodies from Ambika Appalam Depot including the Vathal. This recipe goes off as an entry to Kamalika's "FIC - Delectable Combinations" an event originally started by SunshineMom. It tastes heavenly with the combination of Utti pappu (Cooked toor dal).

Ingredients:

Tamarind - About a lime sized ball (soaked in water for few mins)
Varugu or Sundakkai Vathal - 10 to 12
Chilli Powder - 1 tsp (Adjust accordingly)
Corn Flour - as needed
A pinch of Turmeric
Salt to Taste
Oil
Tempering : A tsp of mustard seeds, few curry leaves

Recipe: This is an extremely simple recipe, and can stored for atleast 3-4 days (in the refrigerator, ofcourse )

* In a pan, heat little oil and add varugu. Fry them until they are black(but not burnt) and then add mustard seeds. Once they splutter , add curry leaves.

* Add Chilli powder to the oil (reduce the flame for this step) and later add tamarind water.

* Add turmeric and salt. Adjust spices if required.

* Depending on how thick you want the pulusu, mix corn flour in little water and add to the pan.

* Let it cook for atleast 10 minutes

To Cook Utti Pappu or Plain Dal : Pressure Cook a cup of Toor Dal with 2-3 cups of water along with a pinch of turmeric and salt as required. When done, mash to a fine paste using a ladle.

Capsicum Masala

2009-06-28T23:02:00.007-04:00

The advantage of staying with roomies is learning new recipes all the time. One such dish that I learned on my first week here was this Capsicum Masala. We started off to make Alu Kurma, but ended up making Capsicum Masala. One of my roomies then had brought fresh home made powder that her mom had packed, and we instantly fell in love with it. Capsicum masala then became quite common at our room since then. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients: (Serves 4-6)

Bell Peppers - 4 chopped (the ones sold at US are HUGE, this would be equivalent to 6-7 capsicums in India)
Onion - 1 medium - finely chopped
Peanuts - 1 cup (roasted and deskinned)
Sesame Seeds - 1/2 cup (roasted)
Dry Coconut Powder - 1/2 cup (lightly roasted)
Red Chilli powder - 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil
Cumin Seeds
Corriander - to garnish
Green chillies - 4 finely chopped (Optional)

Recipe:

* Dry roast peanuts, sesame seeds, dry coconut powder seperately and set aside to cool. Grind to a fine paste by adding water. Don't make it too watery.

* In a pan, heat oil and add cumin seeds. Throw in some green chillies and onions. Fry until onions are golden brown.

* Add capsicum and salt to help cook faster. When the capsicum is half done, add the ground paste and add salt and chilli powder.

* Add water (if required) and cook covered on a low flame for another 10 mins. Adjust seasoning if required.

* Garnish with Cilantro and serve hot with rice or rotis.

I've noticed that the peppers sold here have a higher water content and are not quite suitable for any kind of fry. They tend to give out lot of water and the curry gets mushy :-(

This capsicum masala is off to

* "AFAM - Bell Peppers" guest hosted by Priya, and originally started by Maheshwari
* "JFI - Chillies" a brain child of Mahanandi, currenty hosted at Cardamom and to
* "Think Spice-Think Sesame Seeds" guest hosted by Pj of Seduce your tastebuds, event started by Sunita.

This is on its way to Viki's "Side Dish for Chapati" Event.

An Ode to the King of Pop..

2009-06-26T11:14:00.011-04:00

Yesterday as I was driving back from work, around 6 PM I heard the RJ say there's a news that MJ has passed away. I thought to myself that it might just be a stupid rumour that was spread by some attention-seeker. But around 6.45 when I was again in my car, the same RJ confirmed that MJ has expired and that he suffered a cardiac arrest.

MJ was the first international singer I've ever listened to, so some of the very first english songs that I learnt were from his albums. The first album I ever owned of MJ was Dangerous that released some time in 1991 - when I was still about 7 or 8 years old. I loved every song in the album and I listened to the cassette night and day - the result of which the cassette stopped to work. I got so disappointed and I pestered my dad to get me the same album again, which he did :-)

I used to play the cassette and sing along with the lyrics that were given on the cassette cover, and my mom had decided that her daughter was a 'Gone-Case'. As I started following the lyrics, I realized what a good writer MJ was. His work 'Heal the World', 'Will you be there', 'Who is it' is just the tip of the ice berg, and there are many many more! Although I started listening to MJ's music at a very young age, the songs made more sense to me quite later. Here are three of my most favorite songs from his wonderful work.

(You can find the original videos in Youtube)

I have lots of memories associated with the albums of MJ I owned. There are hundreds of other beautiful songs that were written/composed/sung by him and it just goes to show what an amazing performer he is. Never known another person who has a better Moonwalk or a toe spin than MJ, cannot imagine any other artist who has the same charisma as he does. I've seen hundreds and hundreds of young dancers dressing up like MJ - a hat, curly shoulder length hair, ankle length pants, white shirt, a jacket and gloves. You might have gone, but your music will linger in our hearts forever! Closing off this post with MJ's quote in one of his songs, Stop existing & start living!

P.S : This is a tribute to Michael Jackson, the Singer/Actor/Dancer/Writer/composer and nothing more. This post is just to honor him for what he has given to World Music. Being an ardent music lover, its very sad to hear about this loss. So Right now, I don't care how he looks, or the charges upon him or any other Bull Sh*t - May your soul rest in peace - King of Pop!

Making Peace with 'Peas'

2009-06-23T16:35:00.006-04:00

Its always a Chapathi/Pulkha/Readymade Paratha that accompanies any North-Indian dish I cook. Occasionally Jeera Rice pops in. I'm a kind of person who gets bored easily with the kind of food thats served and I'm always on a look out on different ways to cook the same veggie. Thinking of a mild Indian Rice to accompany the Kadai Paneer I made, I decided to make peace with Peas - and hence made Peas Pulao! One of the most easiest dishes I've ever made.

Ingredients: (Serves 2-3)

Long Grain Rice - 1 1/2 cups (Preferably Basmati - Soak in water for 20-30 mins)
Green Peas - 1 cup (Used frozen)
Green Chillies - 4 slit (medium spiced)
Whole Masalas - An inch of cinnamon stick, a bay leaf, few cloves and few cardamom
Salt & Oil
A tsp of Jeera/Cumin seeds
A tsp of Ginger-Garlic (GG) paste

* Addition of Onions is optional

Recipe:

* Heat a tsp of Jeera, and when it splutters add all the whole masalas, green chillies, GG paste and stir well.

* Add peas and stir on med-high flame for few mins. Drain out the water from Rice, and transfer to the pan. Mix well.

* Transfer contents to a rice cooker or a pressure cooker, add water (Generally 1:1.5 for Basmati) and salt, mix well and cook.

* Serve alongside a spicy North-Indian dish or with a simple Raita. Irrespective of its companion, it sure is a winner!

Kadai Paneer

2009-06-19T11:08:00.010-04:00

How has the weather been in your part of the world? The past week here has been raining or gray at the least .. Not that I have a problem with it or anything, it just makes the mornings tougher and there are more yawns at work (Yawn Again!). I took an off yesterday, just to sleep through all day! :D

Personally I love when it rains. I enjoy the smell of earth after the first few drops of rain the most, and I love the sight of little droplets of water on leaves.. and more importantly I love eating Corn when it rains! I remember running around as a kid drenched from head to toe, carefully selecting fresh corn cob and passing it back to the vendor who toasts it over hot coal and rubs it over with lemon & salt - hmm, I miss that so much :( I tried to recreate that by roasting corn over gas stove, it was not great but not bad either!

To make things even better, last weekend I cooked Kadai Paneer. Nothing better than having a hot curry with a mild spiced rice for a good rainy day's meal! Here goes my version:

Ingredients: (Serves 3-4)

Paneer - 15 to 20 half inch Cubed pieces
Green Pepper - 1 medium - cubed
Yellow and Orange Peppers - 1 medium each - cubed
Red Onion - 1 medium - Cubed
Tomatoes - 2 - pureed
Oil to fry
Chopped Corriander for Garnish
Spices : A tsp (or more) of Red Chilli powder, A tsp of Garam Masala, A tsp of Corriander Powder and Salt to taste
Temper: A tsp of Jeera (Cumin Seeds) and 4 Red Chillies

Recipe:

* Heat a tbsp of oil and Shallow fry Paneer cubes until golden brown. Drain onto a paper towel

* In the leftover oil, add onions and peppers and fry until they are cooked on all sides but not mushed up. Remove and drain onto a paper towel.

* In the same pan, if there's any oil - Add 1 tsp Cumin seeds, and once they splutter add red chillies.

* Add pureed tomatoes and spices. When the oil seperates, add peppers, onions and paneer. Give a good mix and check seasoning.

* Transfer to a serving bowl or a cute little kadai if you have one and Garnish with Chopped Corriander. Serve hot with any Rice or Roti. The curry looked so colorful at the end of it and the photo doesn't do all the justice that it deserves.

This goes as an entry to "AFAM - Bell Peppers" guest hosted by Priya, and originally started by Maheshwari and also to
"JFI - Chillies" a brain child of Mahanandi, currenty hosted at Cardamom.

This is on its way to Viki's "Side Dish for Chapati" Event.

Low Cal Malai Kofta..

2009-06-11T12:01:00.018-04:00

Sounds more like an oxymoron, doesn't it? But, it sure is healthy as compared to the ones available at Restaurants. The first time I tried Malai Kofta at home, it was a little short of disaster (as compared to the Restaurant version, but nevertheless edible by human standards) - that was because I was trying to be "Health-conscious" and completely avoided the use of Cream. Last weekend I felt like eating Malai Kofta but not at the Restaurant. I made a healthier version by baking the Koftas and using low cal cream for the gravy. I always wanted to recreate the Koftas that I savored at restaurants (taste wise, more than look) and I'm glad I could acheive it this time! So here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

For the Koftas:
Potatoes - 5 medium - boiled & mashed (don't allow the potatoes to linger in the water for a long time, this makes the potatoes to absorb water)
Carrot & Peas - 1/2 cup (I used frozen ones)
Cashews - 10 - 15 - broken to pieces
Raisins - 10 - 15
Green Chillies - 4-5 - chopped fine (Optional)
Salt
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp

For the gravy:

Tomatoes - 3 medium - blanched and pureed
Onion - 1 big - pureed - or processed
Ginger Garlic Paste
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Corriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Green Chillies - 2 to 3 - chopped very fine (Optional)
Low Cal Fresh Cream - 150 ml
Salt
Oil
Cashews for Garnish (Optional)
A pinch of turmeric

Recipe:

* Prepping the Koftas : Mix all the Kofta Ingredients and make small balls. Place them on a greased baking tray and transfer to a preheated oven at 400F and broil for 15 mins. Keep an eye so that it doesn't turn black, reduce temp if you think its too high. Once done, remoe and let cool for a while.

* Meanwhile, In a deep bottomed pan - heat oil, add green chillies, pureed onions, ginger garlic paste and a pinch of turmeric. Cook for few mins until the rawness of onions disappears.

* Next add the pureed tomatoes and few mins later the spices. When the oil begins to seperate add cream and stir well.

* Bring it to a boil and if you feel the gravy is watery, add cashew paste. If its too thick add water or milk. Adjust spices/seasoning at this stage.

* Just before serving, place the koftas in the serving dish and pour the gravy on top of it, garnish with cashews/cilantro and serve along with any Long grained Rice variety or Indian flat bread. I had it with warm phulkas & sliced onions on the side.. and it was extra-ordinary!

Sending this to Madhuram's 'Low Fat Eggless Baking'

This is on its way to Viki's "Side Dish for Chapati" Event.

Banana Nut Muffin - Eggless!

2009-06-08T14:20:00.013-04:00

The first time I had a Banana Nut Muffin was on a flight from Cleveland to back home. Until then I detested anything that had to do with Bananas (or fruits for that matter of fact), but my brother asked me to try it once and I loved it! Few months later I had it at Dunkin Donuts. Since then it has been my fav and I try it with the guilt conscious screaming with me.. This is my first attempt at baking muffins(although I've tried other baking stuff) - and I loved the result!

Adapted from Saffron hut

Ingredients:

Bananas - 4 ripe - mashed (I used medium sized bananas)
Walnuts - 1/2 cup - broken to small pieces
All purpose flour - 11/2 cups
Sugar - 11/2 cups
Unsalted Butter - 1 stick
Cashews - 1/2 cup (Optional)
A pinch of salt
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Baking Soda - 1 tsp

Recipe:

* Preheat the oven to 350 F(The original said 375)

* Mix mashed bananas, melted butter, sugar and 90% of the nuts.

* In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

* Transfer this content to the other bowl containing bananas. Mix well for a few mins.

* Fill into muffin molds upto 3/4th of the cup.

* Sprinkle the rest of the nuts on top of the mixture.

* Bake for 15-18 mins at 350 F ( I baked for 18 mins at 375 and hence the dark brown color). Test with a tooth pick - if it comes out clean, your job is done!

Sending this off to Divya's "Show me your breakfast" and to "EFM - Breakfast Series" hosted by Srishkitchen.

Methi Aloo

2009-06-06T22:53:00.008-04:00

Straight to the Recipe this time..

Ingredients:

Potatoes - 6 medium - peeled and cubed
Methi - A whole bunch - Finely chopped
Onion - 1 medium - finely chopped
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Corriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt & Oil
Garlic - 2 pods - finely chopped
Green Chillies - 4 - finely chopped
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Recipe:

* In a pan, heat oil and when hot add Cumin seeds. When it splutters, add green chillies, garlic and onions.

* Saute until onions are translucent. Add cubed potatoes and little salt. Cover and cook for 10 mins.

* Clean (2 to 3 times) methi under running water, and add salt and set aside for 10 mins.

* Once the potatoes are 80% cooked, squeeze out the water from Methi leaves and sprinkle on potatoes. Mix well. Cook for another few mins.

* Add all the spices and adjust seasoning.

* Serve hot with Rice or Rotis.

This goes off as an entry to "SWC - Cooking with Greens" Event hosted by Sowmya.

This is on its way to Viki's "Side Dish for Chapati" Event.

Gongura Pickle

2009-06-04T23:08:00.006-04:00

Just a week ago I mentioned about not being able to find Sorrel leaves at my town, but as luck would have had it - I did find them and I didn't wait to make my most favorite pickle out of it. Gongura Pickle is my all-time favorite and is made differently in each household. But no matter what, I simple love the taste. This is how my mom makes it (Although I followed her instructions, I couldn't reproduce the same taste but it was good nonetheless!)

Ingredients:

Gongura or Sorrel Leaves - 1 small bunch
Sesame seeds - 2 tbsp
Whole Red Chillies - 8 to 10 (High spice)
Fenugreek Seeds - 1/3 tsp
Corriander Seeds - 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Curry Leaves - few (Optional)
Oil & Salt

Recipe:

* Dry roast Sesame Seeds until they become light brown. Grind to a powder and keep aside.

* Add a tsp of oil and fry Red Chillies, Fenugreek and Corriander Seeds until they give out a nice aroma. Remove from flame and set aside.

* Add another tsp of oil and fry gongura leaves. Cover and cook until they are well done.

* Grind ingredients of Step 2, and when they are done add Gongura Leaves and grind for few more seconds. Mix the ground Sesame powder and add salt as per taste.

* Add a tbsp of oil, when hot add mustard seeds and curry leaves. Once they are done spluttering, add the ground paste and stir well so that the oil sets into the paste.

* Serve with hot rice and enjoy with sliced Onions.

This goes as an entry to Sowmya's "SWC - Greens"

Pav Bhaji..

2009-05-31T23:27:00.005-04:00

This is one of my most favorite Chaat Items. There was a shop at Hyd, called "Shalimar" which is quite close to the very famous "Gokul" but hasn't got the same kind of popularity as the latter. As kids, dad used to take me & my brother to that shop, and Pav Bhaji was their best item on the menu. The Chaat kiosks that have loads of Amul Butter on display come a close second.

When I first tried Pav Bhaji at home last year, I was apprehensive of its taste. But, I loved it the very first time I had it and have been making it quite frequently now! So here's my version..

Ingredients:

Cauliflower - 10 to 15 big florets (I used frozen ones - Thaw and use)
Cabbage - 1/2 cup chopped
Carrot - 1/2 cup
Peas - 1/4 cup
Potato - 1 cubed
Capsicum - 1 finely chopped
Onion - 1 medium - finely chopped
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp (High spice)
Pav Bhaji Masala - 1 to 2 tsp (adjust accdly)
Green Chillies - 3 finely chopped (Optional)
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
Butter - 1/2 stick
Tomato Puree - 1/2 cup
Lime or lime juice - as required

Recipe:

* Pressure cook - Cauliflower, cabbage, carrot, peas and potato with little salt and water. Once done, mash the veggies.

* In a pan, add half of the given butter and add green chillies, ginger garlic paste and onions. Stir well.

* Once the onion turns transluscent, add chopped capsicum and salt. Cover and cook until capsicum gets soft.

* Add all the mashed veggies, tomato puree and stir well.

* Add all the spices and adjust seasoning.

* Add the rest of the butter, and cover and cook for a few more mins. Garnish with chopped onions and fresh corriander and serve along with toasted Pav (As in my case, Wheat Burger buns!) and a dash of lime.

This goes off as my entry to Pallavi's "Sunday Snacks - Chaats/ Indian Street Foods" and also to "FIC - Favorite" guest hosted by Curry Leaf and started by Sunshinemom.

Mangoes - All the way!

2009-05-30T23:08:00.009-04:00

Summer and Mangoes are related - Cannot imagine a summer without eating mangoes. Back in India, "Banginapalli" mangoes were famous @ Hyd and Mango being my favorite fruit - I always gorged upon them every summer. My mom alternatively made Milk Shakes or juices with the Mango for a change. Here are a couple of mango related dishes that I made during this week.

Mango Milk Shake: (Serves 2)

Ingredients:

2 Mangoes
1 cup milk ( I used 1% fat)
Sugar (if needed)
Ice cubes (optional)

Recipe :

Peel mango skin, and cut into pieces. Blend along with the rest of the ingredients. Serve Cold.

Mango Milk Shake is off to:

Indian Khana's - "Festive Food - Summer Treat"
Srivalli's "Mango Mela"

************************************************************************************
Mango Halwa (Original Recipe from Indira's Mahanandi with a few changes made)

Ingredients:

Mangoes - 2 (Peeled and mashed)
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Water - 1 cup
Semolina - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Cashews - 1 tbsp
Raisins - 1 tbsp
Cardamom Powder - 1 tsp

Recipe :

* In a pan, heat about half a tbsp of Ghee and fry the Cashews. When they are light brown, add Raisins and fry until the raisins puff up. Remove and keep aside.

* In the leftover Ghee, fry the Semolina for a few mins, until a nice aroma spreads around the room. Remove and keep aside.

* Boil water in a pan, and add sugar. When this boils, bring it to a medium flame and add mango pulp. Stir well.

* Next add the Semolina, and stir well. Cover and cook for 10 mins.

* Keep stirring and continue cooking for atleast another 15 mins, until you notice a change in the color and the mixture thickens.

* When it thickens, add nuts and cardamom powder. Give a stir and switch off to cool.

* Transfer to a greased vessel and cool off in a Refrigerator (once it reaches room temp) until its ready to be served.

Mango Halwa is off to

"MBP - Mango Masti" Guest hosted by Neha, and started by Spice Cafe.
Indian Khana's - "Festive Food - Summer Treat"
Srivalli's "Mango Mela"

Tomato Pickle

2009-05-29T14:05:00.006-04:00

Continuing the Pickle spirit, here's presenting - Tomato Pickle (store and use version). Summer is quickly catching up, and no better way to enjoy than spicy pickles with steaming hot rice. My three favorite pickles are : Gongura, Avakaya and Tomato. Although I enjoy eating the rest, I particularly love these three. Unfortunately, Gongura is not in season now and hence I had to make Tomato.

My mom had two different versions of making this (both garlic free). The first one required cutting and drying the tomatoes, which is impossible as it has been all rain since a week here and moreover its a tedious process. The second version was easier and more my kind of thing to do. So here's the recipe for Tomato Pickle.

Ingredients:

Tomatoes - 2 lbs - chopped
Mustard Seeds - 3 tbsp + 1 tsp (for tempering)
Fenugreek Seeds - 1 1/2 tsp
Tamarind - a lime sized ball (Deseeded)
Vegetable Oil - 5 tbsp
Chilli powder - As desired
Salt - As desired

Recipe:

* Dry roast Fenugreek seeds. When they turn brown, add mustard seeds and roast for a few mins. Grind to a fine powder.

* In a heavy bottomed kadai, add oil and when its hot - add mustard seeds. Next add in the tomatoes and Tamarind. Cover and cook on a medium flame.

* Keep stirring and check for the tomatoes to get mushy. I used Roma Tomatoes and it took about 40 mins to get the pickle ready.

* When the tomatoes are well done (in about 30-35 mins the oil would float on top), add the ground powder and stir well.

* A few mins later, add salt and chilli powder and stir well.

* Taste and adjust salt/spice. Cool and store in an air-tight container in Refrigerator. Use a dry spoon every time.

I made this pickle last Monday, and since then I've eaten this with Parathas, Upmas, Curd Rice, dals - Practically with everything! It was a spicy - tangy pickle and very tasty. This goes as an entry to : Indian Khana's "Festive Food - Summer Treat" and "FIC - Favorite" guest hosted by Curry Leaf and started by Sunshinemom.

Avakaya - A Spicy Welcome to Summer!

2009-05-27T18:06:00.017-04:00

An Indian Summer for me is incomplete without tasting fresh Avakaya. Last year, I had the good fortune of traveling to India during Summer and thankfully I got loads of Avakaya packed. Tough luck this year, and hence I ventured into the task of making Avakaya myself. I was a little apprehensive because a little variation can make or break the recipe, although its very easy. As I've mentioned quite a few times I'm a spice freak and a pickle freak too and that gave me the additional nudge to make this pickle!

Every summer as a kid, I watched my mom go through the pickle making process. On some unfortunate summers, I would be given the task of cleaning cut pieces of mango and that too twice!! (To make sure its absolutely dry - Oh Boy! That was painful). An elderly aunt of mine once asked my mom how to make Avakaya because she liked mom's version. Before my mom could answer I said, "Its simple! One cup of the three powders mixed to three cups of mangoes" and my aunt was shocked to hear this ( I was just 8 when I gave her this recipe and I had seen my mom making pickle a lot of times). So last weekend, I set out to the task of making Avakaya.

Ingredients:

Raw Mangoes - 3 (Pick the green hard ones, cut them into three quarter inch pieces)
Mustard Powder - 1 cup (I used the Rice Cooker Cup)
Salt - 3/4 Cup
Chilli Powder - 3/4 Cup (If you have Three Mangoes Pickle Powder easily available, that's the best one to use and you can use one whole cup - but otherwise you can use the general Chilli Powder)
Sesame Oil

Recipe:

* Clean and cut mangoes and pat them dry. Make sure there's no moisture . Leave aside for a while.

* Mix Mustard Powder, Salt and Chilli Powder and set aside.

* The basic ratio for making Avakaya is 3 Cups of Mangoes : 1 Cup mixed powder
(I got the exact ratio for the size of the mangoes and the cup I used)

* Mix the avakaya and powders, add oil so that the spices stick to the mangoes, but are not running. Cover and leave aside for a couple of days.

* On the third day, stir well and add oil based on the consistency you need. Make any salt adjustments if needed, as a delay would mean a decay.

* Serve hot with Rice and Ghee!

Note: There are quite a lot of versions to Avakaya. Fenugreek seeds and Garlic can be added, but this is exactly how my mom makes and I wanted to re-live that taste!

Personally, I love having avakaya with steaming hot rice and Pappula podi (Split Dalia powder) along with a dollop of Ghee - Hmm, Bliss! Its raining today, and having this fresh avakaya with hot rice was great. This goes out as an entry to "Festive Food - Summer Treat" being hosted at Indian Khana, "FIC - Favorite" hosted at Curry Leaf and also to Srivalli's "Mango Mela"

Pani Puri/ Puchkas

2009-05-26T21:04:00.008-04:00

Pani Puri has and will always be my favorite street food! A filling snack at incredibly low price :). My love for Pani Puri started when I was about 7-8 yrs old, on my trip to Kolkata (then Calcutta). It was a visit to my maternal's uncle home, and we three (brother, cousin & I) were the hunger-stricken kids during afternoons :D. Not knowing what to feed us with, mom and aunt used to give us Rs 2/person - Rupee each for Puchkas and Rasgulla. My cousin used to lead the way, showing us non-localites where to eat. First we gobbled the Puchkas and then to cool off the spice, we had Rasgulla (2 for 1 Re).. Golden Days!

Since then, there has been no looking back. The frequency kept increasing, from once in a month, to a fortnight, to a week, and finally daily as well! I've tried Pani Puri at Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, and Mumbai (loved the khatta pani puri & cold version)but nothing beats Kolkata in this one. The late teen years were spent in discovering new Chat Bhandars in the adjacent streets near my home in Hyd and gluttoning every available item.

Even though you have the luxury of preparing this dish here in the US, the comfort of a chat-bhaiyya serving you along with 4-5 other strangers, and the rush over eating the puri before the water leaks out and the silly smile you wear asking Chat Bhaiyya for more Pyaaz (onions)! None of these can be substituted, but nevertheless - here's my try at Pani Puri - Hyderabadi Style!

I know the Puris can be made at home, but seriously - the lazy bug I am.. I simply cannot imagine myself doing it, hence I used store bought puris.

Pani Ingredients:

water - about 500-750 ml (Use cold water during Summer)
Pudina/Mint - half a bunch
Corriander - half a bunch
Green Chillies - 5-6 (adjust as required)
Black Salt - 1 tsp
Tamarind Pulp - 1 tbsp
MDH Pani Puri Masala - 1 tsp

Filling:

Garbanzo beans - 1/2 cup Used canned/or soak overnight and pressure cook
Potato - 1 medium - boiled and mashed
Green chillies - 1-2 finely chopped
Amchur powder - 1/2 tsp
salt - to taste
Chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Grated Carrot - 3 tbsp (optional)

Other:

Puris
Red Onion - 1 Small - finely chopped

Recipe:

To make the Pani, Grind all the ingredients and drain the paste into the water leaving aside the residue. Add the Pani puri Masala to water.

For the filling, mix the mashed potatoes and boiled potatoes and add in all the dry powders and keep aside.

To serve - Make a small hole into the puri using your thumb, fill in the potato mix and top it off with chopped onions, dip in a bowl of Pani and Enjoy!

Off this goes as an entry to Pallavi's "Sunday Snacks - Chaats/Indian Street Food" event.

Carrot Rice

2009-05-25T22:33:00.009-04:00

As a child, my thought was "Anything that's nutritious is not edible by my standards" and that's why I never ate carrots. My mom used them only in Sambar, and to make "Kosumbari" during festivals. Carrot Kosumbari, normally cooked during weddings/functions is served to a corner of a plaintain leaf and it always remained untouched :-D. Couple of yrs back, a room-mate of mine told me about 'Carrot Rice' and I was sure I wouldn't like it. But, to my suprise I liked it very much and that's the only dish I can think of when I have carrots dying in my refrigerator. So here's the Recipe

Ingredients: (Serves - 2)

Cooked Basmati Rice - 2 Cups ( Rice must be well cooked and must not stick)
Grated Carrot - 3 cups
Green Chillies - 8 to 10 (This is for high spice - Adjust accordingly)
Whole Garam Masala ( an inch of Cinnamon Stick, 4 cloves, 3 cardamom and a bay leaf)
Oil & Salt

Recipe:

* In a pan, heat oil and add Whole Garam Masala and fry for a minute.

* Next add in the Grated Carrot, stir well and cover and cook stirring intermittently so that carrot doesn't stick to the Pan.

* Once the content of carrot is reduced, add cooked rice and stir well. Add salt to taste.

This can be served along with any kind of Raita or with Plain Yogurt too. Although I love this dish, I very rarely make it because of the tedious process of grating Carrots. This goes off as an entry to

* Sanghi's "FIL - Carrots"

* "Monthly Mingle - Ravishing Rice Recipes" hosted by Nags and originally started by Meeta and

* EC's "WYF - Quick Meal"

Mint and Lima Beans Khichdi

2009-05-23T22:41:00.011-04:00

I've always liked one-pot meals just for the simple procedure to cook them and there are plenty of options available when you are running out of veggies. I faced a similar kind of situation last week - when I found nothing interesting in the Refrigerator except for Mint leaves (on the verge of dying). The recipe is actually from my Friend's mother, but I modified it to make it even more healthy with the addition of Lima Beans.

Ingredients: (Serves 3-4)

Basmati Rice - 2 cups
Channa Dal - 1/2 cup
Frozen Lima Beans - 3/4 cup (Thaw before using)
Mint Leaves - half a bunch
Red Onion - 1 medium - sliced length-wise
Green Chillies - 6 to 8 (Adjust accordingly)
Cinnamon Stick - 1 inch
Cloves - 4
Cardamom pods - 4
Oil & Salt

Recipe:

* Wash and rinse Rice and Channa Dal and soak in water for 30 mins.

* Meanwhile, in a skillet - heat oil, add cinnmaon stick, cloves, cardamom and fry for few seconds.

* Next add in green chillies and onions. Cook until onions become transluscent.

* Add Mint and lima beans, and fry till the mint is well cooked.

* Add the soaked Rice & Dal into the pan, and stir well.

* Transfer to a Rice Cooker and pour sufficient water ( I used 3.5 cups for the Basmati kind I used) and salt as required. Stir well and cook. (Alternatively you can use pressure cook)

* Serve hot with Yogurt and Enjoy!

This goes as my entry to:

EC's "WYF - Quick Meal" ; "JFI - Mint", guest hosted by Ashwini and originally started by Indira; "Monthly Mingle - Ravishing Rice Recipes" hosted by Nags and originally started by Meeta; and to Sowmya's "SWC - Greens"

Akki Roti

2009-05-20T13:08:00.010-04:00

Akki Roti was one "Tiffin" my mom used to make when we came back from School. Its quick to make and tastes delicious. This is one of my fav Karnataka Dishes. As a kid, I always hated anything that is nutritious (do it even now!) and one such veggie was carrot. My mom knew the best way to make me eat carrots was to cook Akki Roti and here goes my mom's version of making this:

Ingredients:

Rice Flour - 2 cups
Carrots - 2 Grated
Onions - 1 finely chopped
Green Chillies - 5-6 finely chopped (Adjust as per taste)
Fresh Cilantro - 2 tbsp finely chopped
Salt and Water - As much as you need
Oil

Recipe:

* Mix all the Ingredients and leave aside for few mins.

* Take a medium sized ball of this dough and Use a thick plastic sheet to roll out using your hand and transfer to heated pan. Quick Tip: Keep a bowl of water beside you and dip your fingers in it and this will help you in rolling out the dough quicker.

* Alternatively, you can place the ball on pan, and spread out using your fingers on the pan itself. This is much easier.

* Use oil and turn sides when you find it crisp enough. You can cover and cook if you prefer it to be soft like I do :-)

This doesn't take a long time and tastes very good when hot. A simple dish worth a try :-) Sending this off to Mahimaa's "15 Min Cooking" and Sanghi's "FIL-Carrots"

Other Entries for Mahimaa's "15 Min Cooking" are :

Tortilla Roll-Ups

Plaintain Bajji

Fruit Punch

Bhel Mix

Eggplant Parmesan

2009-05-17T02:12:00.013-04:00

Being one big fan of Eggplant, I've never felt tired trying various ways to cook it. I first came to know about Eggplant Parmesan when I tried it at an Italian Restaurant. This is the first time I've made it at home and it was a good attempt. I know there's a lot of cheese that goes into making this dish, but I was conscious to pick non-fat cheese (makes you feel less-guilty :-D ). When I went searching online for a way to cook this, I found several options and was quite unsure on which one to pick - so finally this was a mix-n-match from lots of online sources. But, most of the recipe was adapted from here.

Ingredients: (serves about 3-4)

For the Sauce:

Tomatoes - 4 medium - chopped fine
Red Onion - 1 medium - chopped fine
Carrots - 2 - peeled and chopped fine
Dried Basil - 1 tsp
Dried Oregano - 1 tsp
Red Chili flakes - 2 tsp

Eggplant - 1 large - Sliced into thin rounds
Italian Bread crumbs
Parmesan Cheese - 1/2 cup (I used low cal - Click here for details)
Mozzarella Cheese - 1/2cup
Olive Oil
Salt

Procedure:

* In a colander, place the sliced eggplant pieces and sprinkle salt over them. Keep aside for atleast 30 mins.

* Meanwhile, get started with the sauce. In a skillet, heat a tbsp of oil and add chili flakes. Then add in chopped onions.

* A minute later, add chopped carrots and saute well. Add tomatoes and cover and cook until tomatoes are mushy. Add Salt. If you are not very good at cutting, you can gring the sauce to a smooth paste once it cooks well.

* Once the eggplants give out water, squeeze the water out and coat with breadcrumbs (mixed with oregano and basil) and shallow fry using olive oil. (Eggitarians can dip eggplants in egg and roll over bread-crumbs).

* In a oven pan, spread a layer of tomato sauce then arrange eggplants and then spread an even layer of both kinds of cheese. Repeat this until you run out of eggplants. ( For the pan I used I got 4 layers).

* Cover with foil and bake in a pre-heated oven at 400F for 25 mins and broil for 2 mins.

* Let cool for few mins and transfer onto a serving plate and enjoy when hot. I had this along with a glass of juice and toasted garlic bread (rubbed with garlic and sprinkled with oregano).

Although this takes a lot of time to prepare, it is worth it if you're a Eggplant freak like me. This is a really heavy dish and my roomie and I had to spread it over lunch and dinner to finish it off. This goes off as an entry to "MFT : Cheese" hosted by Poornima, an event started by Bindya ; Divya's "Bookmarked Recipes" event originally started by Ruth and also to "FIC - Favorite" hosted by Curry Leaf, an event started at Sunshine Mom's Blog

Also to Sanghi's "FIL-Brinjal"

Tortilla Pizza

2009-05-14T15:45:00.012-04:00

I had made this couple of days back once I got home from work. I was too bored eating the same old dishes and wanted to try something new. I thought I'd try a Pizza as it had been long since I made one, but I didn't have the crust. I found some tortillas lying around and thought I could use them as a base, But then again - I didn't have Pizza Sauce :D. Nonetheless, I tried with whatever and I had and Although I would not compare this with Pizza Hut's, it tasted pretty good. Being a picky eater, I don't like the addition of Olives, Jalapenos or Pineapple on my Pizza.

* Update: Divya of Dilse has posted a similar recipe long before I did. I just noticed it after she left a comment on my post.

Ingredients: (Serves 2)

Tortillas - 4 (I used flour tortillas)
Tomato - 1 medium sliced into circles
Red Onion - 1 sliced length wise
Peppers - 1 sliced length wise ( Unfortunately I didn't have peppers at Home)
Jalapenos - few
Dried Basil - 1 tsp
Dried Oregano - 1 tsp
Tomato Ketchup - 2 tbsp
Red Chili Flakes - as desired
Non-fat Parmesan Cheese - 1/3 cup
Non-fat Mozzarella Cheese - 1/3 cup { You can just use one kind of cheese if you have just one)

Recipe:

* Toast the Tortillas on a skillet to heat on both sides.

* On a baking tray, place a Tortilla.. sprinkle parmesan cheese and cover off with another tortilla and press.

* Spread Tomato Ketchup on the tortilla on top, sprinkle basil and oregano. (Alternatively you can use Readymade Pizza Sauce)

* Spread the veggies and sprinkle cheese on top.

* Transfer to a pre-heated oven at 400F and bake for 15-18 mins until you cheese melts. Once cooled, divide using a Pizza Cutter. Dash off some red chili flaves and serve with Soda!

This goes as my entry to Poornima's "My Favorite Things: Cheese" Event, a concept of Bindya
and to "FIC - Favorite" hosted by Curry Leaf, an event started at Sunshine Mom's Blog and also to EC's "WYF - Quick Meal"

Coconut Laddoo

2009-05-11T14:11:00.011-04:00

Mom's day celebrations/events were all around. A trip to Walmart/Grocery store was never devoid of banners reminding to wish mom on Mother's Day, May 10. Coming from a family where we've never celebrated Mother's day, or to the matter of fact any relation day - it was different. (The only days we celebrated were Independence Day and Republic Day). But nonetheless, I called mom and wished her "Happy Mother's Day" not for the heck-of-it but because she's my best friend and if there's a day to recognise her love and efforts for my well-being, then Sure - yeah, lets party! I am not an emotional person and hence cannot pen down words as beautifully as other bloggers have done. But all I can say is "MA YOU ROCK!".

I then came across Shama's Mother's Day Special event and thought it was a wonderful idea. My mom and I have been best buddies from when I can remember but our food favorites are exactly opposite. So, it was hard on deciding on one dish that we both liked. But then I remembered my mom loves Coconut - be it Laddoo, or Burfi, or in chocolate - Anything! and that's what I made for her...

Coconut Laddoo (Makes about 15)

Ingredients:

Fresh Coconut - 2 cups ( I used frozen which was thawed for 20 mins)
Sugar - 1 cup (Vary based on sweetness)
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Dry coconut powder - 1 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Milk - 2 tbsps
Water - 1 cup

Recipe:

* Dry roast Fresh coconut in medium flame on a pan for few mins. Make sure you dont burn the coconut.

* In another pan, boil water. Add sugar and mix well. Once you see the once string consistency, add milk and let it boil for a min.

* Mix in the fried coconut with boiling sugar-water. Then add Ghee and Cardamom Powder. Set aside and let it cool. The mixture must not be too dry or too moist. Its consistency must be suitable to mold it into balls.

* Make balls out of this mixture and roll on Dry coconut powder. Store in airtight containers and refrigerate.

This goes off to
* Shama's "Mom's Most Favorite Recipe" Event
* Srivalli's "Mithai Mela"
* Mahimaa's "15 min Cooking" Event!

The following pic is off to Jugalbandi's "Click - Stack" Event. This is my first entry ever to their event..

Spicy Rasam

2009-05-09T00:16:00.008-04:00

Past week has been quite tiring. I've had cold & fever, and boy! isn't this the wrong time to catch cold or what?! If you're caught sneezing at work.. people joke/poke around asking "Hey! Been to Mexico lately?" or "Swine Flu, eh?" and various other questions. I had decided its better to stay at home rather than scare everyone at work and to relieve the sore throat I had made myself some Rasam.

Rasam on Day 1 - A little high on spice!

Rasam is a definite menu item at my household back in India, but I've never been inclined to it as such. My mom generally makes it using Dal and I use a different recipe, Ahem! My own version. Back during the old cooking days at Hyd, I was too lazy to chop tomatoes so decided to grind them and thats how I like the Rasam. This definitely is not the Traditional way of making Rasam, but still a Great help during Cold!

Ingredients:

Tamarind pulp - lime sized ball
Tomatoes - 3 small
Cilantro - half a bunch
Garlic Pods - 4
Salt
Oil - a tsp
Rasam powder - 2 tsp (I used my mom's home made powder)
Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp (Optional)

For tempering:
Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Red Chillies - 3
Asaefoetida - a pinch (Optional) - Personally I never use this in any of my dishes but mom says its good.
Curry Leaves - 5 to 6

Recipe:

* Soak tamarind in water for atleast 10 mins.

* Meanwhile grind to a fine paste - Tomatoes, Garlic, Cilantro and one teaspoon of Rasam Powder.

* In a heavy bottomed pan, transfer tamarind water and let it boil for 5 mins. Add Rasam powder and let it cook on medium flame for few more mins.

* Add the ground paste to this and later add salt. Add chili powder if you're a spice freak like me.

* Cover and cook for another 10 mins on medium flame. Slow cooking enhances the taste of Rasam.

* When the aroma fills the room (not in my case.. Thanks to my stuffed nose) get tempering ready. Heat Oil - Add mustard, cumin seeds. Red chillies, curry leaves and Asaefoetida. Transfer this onto Rasam container. Serve hot with Rice or if its not very spicy drink it as soup.

Rasam's 2nd Innings!

A bowl of steaming hot Rice with Rasam is my comfort food on days with watery eyes - running nose - sore throat.I had made this twice last week, and both times it didn't last until the next day. Both my roomie and I had sore throat and this seemed to be helping us. This goes off to Cilantro for JFI-Cilantro, brainchild of Mahanandi and also to Trupti's "Comfort Food for Illness" event.

Lubia Polo - A Persian Influence

2009-05-06T12:15:00.011-04:00

I was browsing through the very talented Nupur's Blog couple of months back and I came across a very interesting Recipe. It was called Lubia Polo. I wanted to try this and being my lazy self, found the time to do it just last week. Although I did make a couple of changes here & there, it was a good try and definetely a hit!

Source of the Recipe: Nupur's Blog - One Hot Stove

Ingredients: (Serves 2)

Basmati Rice - 1.25 Cups - a little under-Cooked
Green Beans - 20 to 25, Cut into inch-long pieces
Onions - 1 medium - finely chopped
Tomatoes - 3 - Pureed
Garlic - 3 pods - Chopped fine (Optional)
Fresh Lime Juice - 1 tbsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp (Optional)
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Cilantro - 1/2 tbsp (Optional)
Potato - 1 - sliced thin
Turmeric - a pinch
Salt
Oil

Recipe:

* In a skillet, heat some oil - Add Garlic, onions and saute until light golden brown. Next add in the green beans and little salt. Cover and Cook for few mins until the beans are semi-cooked.

* Pour in the tomato puree and cook until the beans are well done. Add the dry powders and stir well. Add chopped Cilantro, stir well - Switch off the flame and pour in the Lime juice. Stir well again and adjust spices.

* In a non-stick pan - add a tsp of oil, little water, a pinch of turmeric. Carefully place the potato slices and transfer half of the cooked Rice to the pan. Spread the beans mixture over the Rice and cover it off with leftover Rice. Close with a tight lid and let it cook for 20-25 mins.

* Once it cools down, invert it onto a Serving Plate and Enjoy!

I let it cook for just about 15 mins although Nupur's recipe asked for 25 mins at the min. I forgot that my "Non-Stick" was not non-stick anymore (it has become partly-stick) and hence the pictures come no way close to Nupur's magic.But it was the taste that got me hooked to this dish and I'm definetely gonna keep trying this frequently! This is my entry to Kadumanga's "COT: Flavored Rice - World", an extension of "COT:Powders"

Erra Kaaram Dosa

2009-05-04T09:51:00.011-04:00

Erra Kaaram dosalu or Neyyi Dosalu have an Origin from Kadapa. My dad whose native is Kadapa introduced this dish to our family. The taste of this Dosa is heavenly. Ghee is used instead of Oil most of the times to cool off the Spice (hence the name Erra Kaaram or Neyyi Dosa). My dad mentioned that there wasn't a day when he didn't have the Neyyi Dosalu! I am not going to post the Recipe to make a basic Dosa as that is quite common and can be found across thousands of blogs.

Ingredients:
Dosa Batter
White Onion - 2 medium - cubed
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Salt
Split Channa Dal/Putnalu - 1/2 cup - powdered fine along with Salt
Ghee/Oil - 1 tbsp

Recipe:
* In a pan, fry in little oil chopped onions. When they become soft, add salt and Chili powder. Fry for another min or so. Grind to a smooth paste.
(Follow the pic above)
* On a hot Tawa, spread the Dosa Batter as one normally does.Circle the corners of the dosa with oil and turn around once the other side gets brown. Ghee is used as a variation instead of Oil sometimes, and if you are not calorie conscious - you would love this taste!
* With the white side facing up, apply a spoon of red onion paste over the dosa and spread consistently. Sprinkle the Dalia powder (putnalu podi).
* Close the Dosa and turn around to cook on both sides.

This goes well with Peanut Chutney. Forget the Calories and enjoy these lovely Dosas! This goes as another entry to Mahimaa's Kitchen "15 min cooking" event ; to Shama's "Village Special Recipes" and to Padma's Dosa Corner Event

Paal Payasam

2009-04-30T11:52:00.015-04:00

Two special Occasions and one sweet dish to go with! First its my Grandpa's 80th Bday (lots of celebrations going on back home & sadly missing 'em) ... and secondly its my brother's first anniversary :-D. Too bad I cannot personally wish my brother & SIL although they live close-by (thanks to the freaking meeting @ work ... Grrrr!!). To "cheer" myself up due to my absence at both these occasions ... I've decided to treat myself with Paal Payasam ;-) (and I will get a treat from my brother later :-D)

"HAPPY BDAY THATHA" & "HAPPY ANNIVERSARY ANNA - VADINA"
Enjoy Maadi! :-D

Hands down - This is one of the best dish my mom makes, and the taste is truly out of the world!(too bad I haven't been able to replicate the same taste :-( ) I was puzzled when I heard the Ingredients of this recipe. I kept on asking her, "Thats it?! Nothin more??!". On my last trip to India, when my friend visited me at my home - my mom cooked us lunch and she made Paal Payasam that day. My friend liked it so much that he insists on visiting my house just for the Pal Payasam :-)

Back in Hyd, my mom used to purchase a special kind of rice called "Vasana Biyyam" (translated as Aroma Rice). I couldn't find that variety here, hence I substituted with Basmati which is the next best choice. My mom mostly made this during festivals and I alteast had 2 cups of it. One when it was warm just during lunch, and the other cup would go into the Refrigerator and would be my evening snack. This is my family's fav payasam and here's the recipe. This dish needs constant attention for a long time, so cook this when you have nothing else to do :-)

Ingredients:
Whole Milk - 3/4 lt.
Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup (Adjust as per taste)
Cardamom Powder - 1/2 tsp

Recipe:
* Use a thick-bottomed pan for this dish.(Personally I used an old pressure cooker). Boil milk on a medium flame. In about 15 mins, the milk would have been reduced.
* Wash the Basmati Rice and add the washed rice to the boiling milk. Reduce the flame to medium-low and let it cook uncovered. Keep stirring occassionally to avoid burning of the milk at the bottom of the vessel.
* The rice must be cooked to a mushy state and 50% of the milk would have been absorbed by the rice grains.
* Add in the sugar at this stage and give a good mix. Check if the rice is well cooked. At any stage, if you feel that it has become too dry: Boil some milk in the microwave for a min, and add it to the Pan.
* Just before you switch off, add Cardamom Powder and mix well. Don't serve when its too hot. Let it cool off and savour the taste!

It takes about 30-40 mins to get this dish done. All you have to do is stand and stir along. No Chop-Chop-Chop or Pound-pound-pound :-) Personally I don't like any nuts in this Payasam - but you can add it if you wish to! Off this goes as an entry to Srivalli's Mithai Mela.

Weekend Meal - *Starring Cilantro

2009-04-28T17:40:00.013-04:00

With all the moving apartment stuff going on.. all I've been doing is - gorging on Dosas (Batter & Kaaram podi provided by my SIL) and alternatively frozen parathas. Too tired to cook something good or too bored eating outside.

Last Friday I had Vankaya Kothimira Kaaram and Banda Pachadi. I have a nickname in my family as "Pachadi Priyuraalu" (Lover of chutneys). As long as there's a fresh Pachadi served at my table, I don't care the presence of other delicacies :-D (Now I miss home... hmm). Anyways, back to the post now..

VANKAYA KOTHIMIRA KAARAM (Brinjal Curry): I love Brinjal in any form (unless its served in Sambar). My mom has 3-4 variations of the way she cooks Brinjal and this is my 2nd fav. The winner has already been posted here. This is how I remember my mom making it.

Ingredients: (serves 2-3)

Brinjal - 10 - Cut length wise (I used small purple ones)
Cilantro - a small bunch
Green Chillies - 8-10 Slit (Adjust accordingly)
Ginger - one inch piece chopped
Salt
Oil
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Recipe:

* In a pan, heat some oil. Add mustard seeds and after they splutter add cut brinjal. Fry on medium heat.
* Grind to a fine paste - Cilantro, Green chillies and Ginger.
* Once the brinjal are half cooked, add the ground paste and salt. Adjust seasoning.
* Cover and cook for 5 mins on medium flame until Aroma of cilantro fills in the Room! Serve hot with Rice!

This recipe is off to Sanghi's "FIL-Brinjal"

********************************************************

BANDA PACHADI: Can also be called as Cilantro - Coconut pachadi. I loved the Pachadis that Grandma cooked. She used a stone mortar (Banda in Telugu means Stone) to make a coarse pachadi and I would gorge on those pachadis guiltless :-D I'm planning to get myself one of the mortar & pestles this time..hmm, lets see!

Ingredients:

Cilantro - 1 bunch
Fresh Coconut - 1/2 cup
Green Chillies - 6 to 8 slit (Adjust accdgly)
Dry Red Chillies - 2 to 3
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Chana Dal - 1 tsp
Salt

Recipe:

* In a pan, add little oil and fry mustard seeds, urad dal and chana dal. Add Red chillies and fry for few seconds
* Next add in the green chillies and fry. Drop in the cilantro and fry for a minute before you turn off the stove.
* Add fresh coconut and stir. Once this cools off, grind to a coarse paste after adding salt. Serve with Rice with a dollop of Ghee (if you're not calorie conscious!) and enjoy the Bliss!

Both these are off to JFI: Cilantro hosted by Cilantro, a brain child of Mahanandi and 15 min cooking by Mahimaa's Kitchen.

Moving Sucks - Big Time!

2009-04-27T16:58:00.030-04:00

Statutory Warning: Just a rant, not a food post!

Hell, Yes! Moving Sucks - BIG TIME! All I've been doing this weekend was carrying boxes from my old apartment to new. This is the 5th apartment that I have moved into in the last couple of years. Either I'm the lucky charm for my room-mates who seem to be getting married once they move in with me or the landlord finds the right moment to hike the rent, or as in this time Mice & Termites have found a good place to breathe their last, Eeeks! So we moved this weekend, and it was 87F here and I was carrying boxes right around 2 PM - Ah, Well! Moving is never easy and the weather wasn't helping either!

My car looked something like below :-D (Source : Google Images)

There are lot of annoying things associated when moving to a new place, but the thing I detest the most is folding clothes! I'm not a messy person and neither am I a cleanliness freak - but how-the-heck can a person fold clothes when you know you would be unfolding them again, I just don't get it! It's such a pain in the A$$. If I have to fold clothes it takes an interesting Bollywood/Tollywood to keep me glued so that the mind forgets about its feeling against folding clothes. And it doesn't end there - the pain is to classify the clothes to "never used - but I will use it later", "doesn't fit any more - so donate" , "doesn't look good - so throw", "love this" categories. After donating three bag full of clothes and throwing away another 2 bags - I was finally left with 4 suitcases to carry! Phew! My dear brother and lovely SIL had dropped in to help me with Shifting :-) (That's because I had helped my brother with his moving, and bugger is planning to move again! Dang!)

And next the CRAP! How much crap can an apt. hide?!! If I were an archaeologist or a paleontologist doing an excavation in my apartment, I would have been awarded the Nobel Prize! I had soda cans lying around (was planning to make a Pen Stand out of it - Heck! I should buy some pens first!) and some artificial clay (Bought it as it was on sale - Haven't even unwrapped it!) and thousands of other useless things...hmm.. My bad! Amongst the crap too, the classification exists - "Useful Crap" and "Absolutely Useless Crap". Then my brain starts to function and remind me of the old cardboard boxes that I had used during moving the last four times and then the search begins! If I had left the boxes as boxes it would have been easy - but I had folded them and pushed them under a heap of other useless things! Speaking of boxes, fortunately I had saved boxes for all the appliances I had bought and unfortunately I had an awful time packing them back. I guess its just a problem with me on how to pack it (yes, I'm dumb like that!) the same way it was, when I first bought it - but, nope .. for an impatient person like me - all I do is throw the safety packing away and "pack" the appliance into the box!

The After Effects: After dumping all the boxes into the living room and kitchen in the new apt, the sorting begins. You ask yourself - "Which was the box where I left sugar?" Unfortunately, sugar would be on the bottom left corner of the Box marked "Spices/Seasoning"! Take out every other container, before you get to what you need! I'm just happy - I got to do all this on a weekend, cannot even imagine my state if it was a weekday!

At the end of all this, I'm exhausted (literally soaking feet in hot water tub) - But I'm happy about the great place I've moved into. A week later, I can enjoy the serene atmosphere and lay back with a smile :-) I'm looking forward to cook on the new Gas Stove (finally got rid of the useless electric stoves) and brand new Oven - YAY! That's the last reason I would need to experiment :-P - That being said, I'm not ready to move anymore - not atleast for the next 6 months :-D

P.S: If you've reached this point and feel that you've wasted 5 mins - I already warned you :-P - Will be back soon with some recipes!
(Image Sources - Google)

Miang Khum - A Thai Debut!

2009-04-22T16:13:00.020-04:00

I have never cooked Thai @ Home! I've just eaten it couple of times outside. I'm always under the impression that Thai Cuisine is biased more towards Non-Veg, which as I realized is so untrue! (Quite similar to how westerners feel about Indian Cooking I believe!).

At a local library, I picked up a Thai Cook-book "Cracking the Coconut" to prove myself wrong and I'm glad I did! The book catered to the needs of a wider audience and had very few vegetarian/vegan dishes. Undeterred, I wanted to try atleast one dish supplementing the meat with a healthy vegan option. This goes as my entry to Priya's "IAVW-Thai" event, brainchild of Vaishali.

About "Miang Khum" - In the language of Northern Thailand Miang describes a morsel of food much like a tidbit or snack, while Khum means gold or good as gold. Therefore, Miang Khum is literally - "a morsel as good as gold for you". The nearest English equivalent is a "savory bite". Thai men often consume Miang Khum as a snack to accompany the consumption of alcoholic beverages (Well, I'm not giving any leads here ;-P ). Typically Miang Khum is made using Dried Shrimp, but I used Sprouts for a healthy option :-D (My mom is going to be so proud of me! :-D). I made few changes to the traditional recipe mentioned in the Book to suit my taste buds.

Ingredients:

Lettuce Leaves - 4 (Original recipe asked for Spinach - I just can't imagine myself eating fresh spinach leaves!)
Dried Sweetened Coconut - 1/4 cup
Dried Unsweetened Coconut - 1/4 cup
Sprouts - 1/4 cup (Original Recipe used Dried Shrimp)
Roasted peanuts - 1/4 cup
Chili powder - 1/2 tsp (Alternatively use Thai Chili Sauce or Chili flakes)
Galangal - a thumb size piece (alternatively use Ginger)
Soy Sauce - 1 tsp
Lime Wedges - to serve

Recipe:

* Dry Roast both kinds of coconut in a frying pan on med-high heat stirring continously until it turns golden brown. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
* Add the sprouts to the mixing bowl.
* Process peanuts and add to bowl. Do not make a fine powder, I loved the crunchy nuts in each bite :-)
* Chop Galangal/Ginger very fine and add to bowl
* Add Chili Powder (or flakes or Sauce) and soy sauce to the bowl. Mix well. Adjust taste.
* Spoon some of the filling onto each leaf. Top off with some coconut. Serve with wedges of lime and sauce/dip. I was too lazy to make a dip, so I settled off with some Thai Chili Sauce. Squeeze the lime, and pop the whole thing into your mouth.

VERDICT: I was quite unsure how it would taste at the end, but It was sweet - spicy - tangy - salty and tasty lettuce bag! It so reminded me of Meenakshi Paan sold at Hyderabad :-D

This also goes to Mahimaa's "15-min Cooking" Event!

Veg Manchurian

2009-04-22T14:33:00.016-04:00

This is on my eat-before-you-die list :-D I simply love Manchurian - be it Gobi or Veg. Back home, Mom frequently made Gobi Manchurian and we savored every bit of it. I never had the feeling to try this at home here, because basically I assumed this has a very lengthy procedure (which is true, BTW! :-D). But as I kept making this dish, I learnt to make it faster. Also, I'm not the kind of person who likes to mess around in the kitchen, even though I love cooking!

I have lots of memories attached to Veg. Manchurian (Am I getting melodramatic?!!). Me & couple of my friends got together for "Combined Studies" during Engg. and we took a "break" (infact very long ones!) from our "focused" studying (Pun Intended!) to a bakery close by to gobble down plates of Spicy Veg.Manchurian! During working days too my friend and I used to take 15-20 mins break at evenings in the name of "walking" and we went to the nearest bakery that served Awesome Manchurian! This was our two times in a week ritual, hehehe - Ah, Golden Times! (Not sure if bakery at other cities serve Indo-Chinese food, but most of the ones at Hyd did, and we without even half an inch of guilt took complete advantage of it!)Guess, I have digressed enough - Now back to the Recipe.

Ingredients: (Can serve up to 2 along with a Main dish)

For the Balls:
Cabbage - 1 cup - chopped
Carrots - 1 cup - Grated or Chopped (I prefer chopping to grating, I'm lazy like that :-D)
Green Peas - 1/3 cup - Optional (Thaw if using frozen)
Green Chillies
Potato - 1 large
Green chillies - finely chopped - 1 tsp
Ajinomoto - 1 tsp ( I supplemented with Salt)
Corn Flour - 1 tbsp
Soy Sauce - 1 tsp
Oil for deep frying

For the Sauce:
Spring Onions - A bunch finely chopped
Garlic Pods - 4 finely chopped
Green chillies - 3 finely chopped (Avoid this if you are not a spice-lover)
Green Chili sauce - 1 tsp
Red Chili Sauce - 1 tbsp
Soy Sauce - 1 tsp
Corn Flour - 1 tsp
Salt
Oil - 1 tbsp

Recipe:

To make the Balls:
* Pressure cook cabbage, carrots, peas and potato with little salt.
* Drain out all the water from the cooked veggies. Make it as dry as possible.
* Mash all the veggies and all the spices and cornflour if required.
* Make small balls and deep fry in hot oil. Beginners can try frying one ball first and if it doesn't break, you can fry a larger batch. Move the fried balls to a paper towel.

* In a wok heat some oil and add Green chillies, garlic and spring onions.
* Saute for a minute and then add some soy sauce, red chili & green chili sauce and salt/ajinomoto.
* Add about 75 ml of water and bring this to a boil. Add the fried balls and stir well.
* If you like the Manchurian to be dry as I do, add cornflour so that the sauces stick to the balls - else serve as is.
* Garnish with Spring Onions. Serve Immediately with Fried Rice or Noodles!

You can get the balls ready ahead of time, and just before you're serving you can prepare the sauce and coat the balls with them. This will help retain the crispiness. Personally I love to eat Veg.Manchurian alongside Noodles. This goes as my final entry to the Event "WYF-Side Dish" hosted by EC of Simple Indian Cooking.

I'm also reposting my previous entry to the same event:Stuffed Brinjal

Veg. Hakka Noodles

2009-04-21T16:38:00.015-04:00

"Indo-Chinese" Food for me is 95% Indian and 5% Chinese [or even less, if possible ;-) ]. Read this for more info. Eating out at Hyderabad was more frequent than not for me, and the options were vast. Another fav of mine was the Soft Noodles along with Manchurian. I literally worship Maggi - it helped me through all the times when I stayed alone and cooked for myself! But, Hakka Noodles is a quick to cook recipe and is just as good as any other so-called "Indo-Chinese" cuisine. This is one dish, that has more prep time than cooking time :-D

Ingredients - Serves 4-6

Veg. Hakka Noodles - 1 pack (available at Indian Grocery Store)
Cabbage - Shredded 1 cup
Carrot - Thinly sliced - 1 cup
Spring Onions - A bunch - chopped fine
Green Chillies - 5 slit (optional)
Oil - 1 tbsp
Soy Sauce - 2 tsp
Green Chili Sauce - 1-2 tsp (Adjust as per taste)
Red Chili Sauce - 1-2 tsp (Adjust as per taste)
Vinegar - 1 tsp
Salt - a pinch
Garlic - 2 pods - chopped fine (optional)
Note: You can also add Bell peppers & peas to make it more colorful

Recipe:

* Cook the noodles as per the pack. Drain and keep aside.
* In a wok, add oil and then add garlic, green chillies, spring onions. Next add all the veggies and add little salt and soy sauce. Cover & Cook for 2 mins on a med-high flame.
* When the veggies get a little soft, add Chili Sauce and stir well
* Finally, add the cooked noodles and give a good stir so that the sauces stick to the noodles. Switch off & serve immediately with Manchurian.

So here's the Queen of Indo-Chinese Cuisine.. (the King is waiting to catch up in the next post!)

Ah,Well! I mean Noodles with Veg.Manchurian :-D

Off as an entry to 15-min Cooking hosted by Mahimaa.

Choco - Cashew Cookies

2009-04-20T11:20:00.016-04:00

This is my first try at baking cookies. Although they got a "little" mis-shaped, they were crispy, crunchy and tasted really good :-D Hopefully I can get the shapes better the next time ;-)

The pic sucks - I know, but unfortunately this is the better of the worst!

Ingredients: (Makes upto 14 Mis-shaped cookies ;-) )

All purpose Flour - 1.5 cups
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - 0.5 cups
Powdered Sugar - 1 to 1.5 cups (Adjust as per your taste)
Softened Unsalted Butter - 1 stick
Broken Cashews - 3/4 cup - Keep aside few of these
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp
Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp
Milk - 1 tbsp (Optional)

Recipe:

* Preheat the Oven to 350F and grease the baking sheet.
* Sift together All Purpose Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Cocoa Powder.
* Next add the Powdered Sugar & Vanilla Essence and keep mixing for few mins.
* Add softened butter and whisk until a smooth paste is formed. If the mix is too dry, add some milk. It would almost be like a Chapathi dough, but more sticky.
* Use 1/2 cup of the Cashews and whisk well.
* On a baking sheet, drop a tbsp of the dough and flatten with a spatula. Add few more cashews on top. Do the same for the rest of the cookies, providing about an inch distance between them.
* I baked these for 25 mins at a temp of 375F (My Oven is very moody - it takes its own time, so adjust the temp and time based on your oven temp)
* Remove once they are baked and let it cool down for 10-15 mins. Remove from sheet and store in air-tight container.

A Cookie Tower!

The aroma that filled the entire home was amazing. We weren't that hungry, but after the Aroma we couldn't resist ourselves :-D - Enjoy it anytime during the day!

I'm sending this off to three different Events:
"For the Love of Chocolate" hosted by Poornima,
"EFM - Cookies" hosted by Sri's Kitchen and
"Lets fo Nuts - Cashews Nuts" hosted by Poornima again, conceptualized by Aquadaze!

Lets make that Four as this is also going off to Srivalli's Mithai Mela

Shahi Paneer

2009-04-19T00:57:00.017-04:00

I simply love Paneer! I'm aware of its calorie content, but still its irresistible :-D .. Having it once in a while is no big deal! I made Shahi Paneer this weekend. This is a rich dish and here's the recipe

Ingredients:

Paneer - 1 pack (I used store bought that are already cut into pieces - well, I'm lazy to cut & fry them!)
Onions - 2 medium - chopped & Grind to a fine paste
Tomatoes - 4 small - pureed
Cashews - 1/2 cup - soaked in 1/2 cup of warm milk for 15 mins (Cup size varies, but 1/2 cup nearly came up to 20-25 cashews)
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 2 tsp
Cumin Powder - 2 tsp
Corriander Powder - 2 tsp
Garam Masala - 2 tsp
Cilantro - 1 tbsp Finely Chopped
Oil - 1 tbsp
Cinnamon Stick - a small piece
Cloves - 3
Turmeric - pinch

Recipe:

* In a skillet heat some oil and add the cinnamon stick and cloves. 30 secs later, add Ginger Garlic Paste.
* Add the Onion paste and a pinch of turmeric. Cover and cook until the raw smell of Onions goes away.
* Add the pureed tomatoes when the onions are done. Cook until oil separates from the tomatoes.
* Add all the dry powders and cook for about 5 mins. Add water if required.
* Grind Cashews along with the milk it was soaked in and add this paste to the skillet. Stir well and add water if the gravy is getting too thick.
* If you are using a block of Paneer, cut them into pieces of 1 inch and fry until golden brown on all sides. Add the paneer to the Gravy and cover & cook for few more mins, until the Paneer has absorbed the spices.
* Garnish with Cilantro.

Here's a bite ready to be enjoyed!

Enjoy it Guilt-less with Rotis/Rice! Sending this off as an entry to "WYF: Side Dish" Event hosted by EC of Simple Indian Cooking and also to Poornima for her "Lets go Nuts: Cashews" event, originally started by Aquadaze.

This is on its way to Viki's "Side Dish for Chapati" Event.

Tortilla Roll-ups

2009-04-15T17:09:00.023-04:00

Yesterday as soon as I reached home from work, I walked straight into the Kitchen and raided the Refrigerator hoping to find something to curb my hunger. But, Nope! Nothing, Zilch! I had a couple of Tortillas left over and just a capscium. Earlier, I searched the Web to stumble upon something interesting to make with the Tortillas I had, but either found stuffings with Beef/other kinds of meat or boring versions of vegetarian filling with loads of Cheese. Clueless on what I'd be cooking, I added anything that I laid my eyes on (thinking to myself - "Yeah! Sure, Why not?!") & ended up with a great tasting appetizer within 10 mins!

Ingredients:

Tortillas - 2
Capsicum - 1 - Finely Chopped
Onion - 1 Medium - Finely Chopped
Green Chillies - 2-3 finely chopped
Garlic Pods - 2 finely chopped
Red Chili flakes - about half a teaspoon
Dried Oregano Leaves - half a teaspoon
Salt
Lime juice - 1 tsp
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
Light Mayonaise - 1 tbsp

Recipe:

* In a pan, add the olive oil and toss in the green chillies,red chili flakes, Oregano and Garlic. After 30 secs, add chopped Onion & Capscium and salt. Cover and Cook for about 5 mins on a medium flame.
* Once cooked, add lime juice and give a good stir. Switch off and keep aside.
* On a griddle, heat the Tortillas without adding any oil. Flip to heat on both sides.
* Spread the mayonaise on the Tortillas evenly, add the cooked veggies and spread. Roll them up as shown. Cut into a little over 1 inch pieces. Stick a tooth-pick and Serve with Ketchup!

I would leave it to your imagination as to what else can be stuffed into the Tortillas. I basically was running out of veggies, and had limited options. Also, you can try spreading Pizza Sauce instead of Mayonaise. Just make sure the roll doesn't get too big for a bite! :-P

Off this goes as my second entry to the Event "Recipes for the rest of Us" Guest hosted by SunShineMom@ TongueTicklers, initiated by Ramki@One Page Cookbooks
and also to Mahimaa's "15 min Cooking" Event!

Also sending it across to "AFAM - Bell Peppers" guest hosted by Priya, and originally started by Maheshwari and "JFI - Chillies" a brain child of Mahanandi, currenty hosted at Cardamom.

Plaintain/Aratikaya/Vazhakkai Bajji

2009-04-14T14:09:00.032-04:00

A Very Happy New Year to all Tamilians!

I first ate this Bajji as a kid on the beach of Chennai(then Madras). Until then Pristina I never really liked this veggie - but that one Bajji changed my mind! and later on I insisted on going to the Beach (for the sake of Bajji!) every time I visited Chennai. Its quite simple to make and has the same procedure as the other Bajjis. I'm sending this off as my first entry to the Event "Recipes for the rest of Us" Guest hosted by SunShineMom@ TongueTicklers, and started by Ramki@One Page Cookbooks and also to Mahimaa's "15 min Cooking" Event.

Ingredients:

Plaintain - 1 medium - peeled and sliced length-wise into thin pieces
Gram Flour/Besan/Senagapindi - 1 cup
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Dry Mango/Amchur Powder - a pinch (Optional)
Chat masala - a pinch (Optional)
Salt
Oil for deep frying

Recipe:

* Mix the Gram Flour, Chilli Powder, Cumin Seeds, Amchur Powder and Salt along with water to make a consistent batter. (Note: The batter must not be too runny or too thick - can almost be of the consistency of Idly Batter)
* Dip the Plaintain pieces in the Batter and deep fry in hot oil. Let the heat remain on med-hi as you don't want to burn them!
* Let it fry for 3-5 mins until you see the Crispiness that you need. Serve hot with Ketchup!

Hot Bajjis ready to be served

This is a perfect dish for any new cook who is apprehensive about stepping into the Kitchen!

Stuffed Capsicum in a Spicy Gravy

2009-04-12T01:11:00.022-04:00

My mom used to make this when we were kids and I vaguely remember how it tasted. Last week while shopping at an Indian Grocery Store I found the small sized capsicums. Almost after 2 yrs I found these - and right there I decided I would cook Stuffed Capsicum!

I started off this recipe with a basic Idea in mind, and I kept on adding whatever I found :-) - The result was pretty good!

Ingredients:

For the Filling :
Capsicum - 4
Potatoes - 3 medium - cooked and mashed
mixed veggies - 1/2 cup ( I used frozen carrot, peas & corn which I microwaved for 2 mins)
Onion - 1 medium - finely Chopped
Mirchi powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Amchur Powder - 1/3 tsp (Optional)
Green Chillies - 3 finely chopped
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds

For the Gravy:
Onion - 1 medium - Finely Chopped
Tomatoes - 3 - pureed
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
Mirchi Powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Yogurt - 2 tbsp
Cashew - 15 - Grind to a smooth paste
Salt & Oil
Cilantro - 2 tbsp

Recipe:

Prepare the Filling :
* In a skillet, add oil, cumin seeds, Green Chillies and onions. Saute for 30 secs and add Ginger Garlic Paste.
* Cook until the onions become translucent and then add boiled potatoes & mixed veggies
* Add the spices and salt and give it a good mix.
* Add Cilantro and remove from flame. Cool for few mins.
* Behead the capsicum and remove seeds within.
* Stuff the capsicum with the above filling to the top. Preheat oven at 350F
* Grease a baking tray and oil the capsicum and bake it at a temp of 350-400F for 25-30 mins, Changing sides in every 5-7 mins (I've given approx timing as it varies based on the Oven)

Gravy:
* In a heavy bottomed pan, heat a little oil - add the cumin, onions, ginger-garlic paste and saute for a min.
* Add the pureed tomatoes and cook until oil seperates.
* Add spices and salt.
* Add Yogurt and give it a boil . Add Cashew Paste and cilantro.
* Once the capsicum is cooked, add it into the Gravy and cover and cook for 2 mins. Serve hot with Rice or Roti!

I had it the next day with some Parathas, and that tasted good as well! This goes off to the FIC: Red & Green Event hosted by Neha @ EasynTastyRecipes, originally started by Sunshinemom @ Tongueticklers..

Also sending it to "AFAM - Bell Peppers" guest hosted by Priya, and originally started by Maheshwari and "JFI - Chillies" a brain child of Mahanandi, currenty hosted at Cardamom.

This is on its way to Viki's "Side Dish for Chapati" Event.

Just a Note: Be a tad bit cautious with the spice measurements, the Capsicums I had bought turned to be spicy than my expectations , and hence the Curry was a bit over my spice levels - but I adjusted that with some Cashew Paste and it was better after that!

Quick Rice Makeover

2009-04-10T14:08:00.061-04:00

Rice being left over is quite common these days. On such a day for a lazy person like me to cook a side-dish to go with it is a herculean task. At times like these, this less than 10 min prep comes to rescue. Perfect for all the Bachelors/Spinsters/New cooks on the block and also helps a great deal when you're out of veggies!

Enough of the hype, now to the recipe:

Ingredients: (To Serve 1)
Cooked Rice - 1 cup (Any kind would do, I used Sona Masoori)
Onion - 1 medium, chopped fine
Green Chillies - 3-4, chopped fine
Red Chillies - 2
Curry Leaves - 4
Mustard Seeds/Aavaalu - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds/Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Urad Dal/Minapappu - 1 tsp
Chana Dal/Senagapappu - 1tsp
Cilantro - 2 tbsp - finely chopped
Salt
Oil - 1tbsp

Recipe:
* Heat about 1 tbsp oil, add in the following mustard seeds, cumin seeds, chana dal, urad dal and Red chillies.
* Once they splutter, add Curry Leaves, Green Chillies and Onions. Cover and Cook a med flame for about 5 mins.
* Add Rice and sprinkle a little water if the rice is too dry. Add salt and Cilantro. Cover and cook for 3 mins. Switch off and serve hot.

Taking a Plunge into the Cool Yogurt!

This goes as my entry to Single Serving Recipes hosted by Sahaja @ Spicy Rasam. You can just eat it by itself or goes very well with Plain Yogurt too! Quick to cook & Great to eat - Grab your plate and Enjoy! :-)

Bhel & A drink, anyone?

2009-04-08T23:28:00.043-04:00

Me being a novice blogger, would love to take up an oppurtunity in sending entries to as many events as possible. I've made two seperate dishes tonight, each to be sent to a different event - first being Bhel mixture(some call it Bhel Puri - I'l get back to it later) as an entry to Sunday Snacks - Chaats/Indian Street Foods by Pallavi of All Thingz Yummy. With lots of fruits idling @ home, I made a fruit punch as an entry for Refreshing Drinks - RD For Summer by Anu Sriram of Chandrabhaga.

Part I : The Mighty Bhel

I am a Chaat fanatic, and I wouldn't mind supplementing it with Rice daily - Thats how crazy I can get, only when cooked right! The street food that first came into my mind when I read Pallavi's blog is the Bhel or murmuri mixture. This is not the same as Bhel Puri (Well, atleast I think so!).

These are sold by men, carrying a wide vessel with all the ingredients, and they instantly mix them up and pack-it up in an old newspaper for you. Enjoying the Bhel in an evening breeze at Tank Bund, Hyd is Bliss! The Bhel mixture is also very commonly sold on the trains! Get a packet and chat away to glory with a co-passenger was my funda those days! I found a photo on web, but I didn't want to copy & post it .. so I made a rough pencil sketch of it.. to give an Idea of what I'm talking about...

Ingredients: (I'm providing rough measurements)

Puffed Rice - 2 cups
Onion - 1 medium - Finely Chopped
Tomato - 1 medium - Finely Chopped
Red Chilli powder - 1.5 tsp
Amchur Powder - 1/2 tsp
Chat Masala - 1/2 tsp (Optional)
Turmeric - a pinch
Cilantro - 1 tbsp - Finely Chopped
Split Dalia - 2 tbsp
Sprouted beans - 2 tbsp ( I used left-over Garbanzo beans) - Optional
Lime juice - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Sev - To garnish

Recipe:

* In a pan, pour in some oil. Add turmeric and chili powder to it. Next add in the Puffed Rice. The variety I used was large in size, so I used water to bring down the size (although it is optional if you prefer it the way it is).
* In a big serving bowl, add chopped onions & tomatoes . Toss in the fried bhel. Add salt, lime juice, cilantro, beans, dalia. Check spices and adjust accordingly. Garnish with Sev and Serve!

Off this goes as my first entry to Sunday Snacks - Chaats/Indian Street Foods by Pallavi of All Things Yummy.

Part II: The cooling Fruit Punch

I don't know how many moms face the Universal Problem of getting their kids to eat nutritious fruits. My mom did! I hated fruits (In a solid form) and my mom found an alternative to provide me with the nutrition I needed. She made a juice/milkshake with minimum amount of Sugar (I never had milk as a kid as well). I had some boring fruits waiting to be thrown out in my fridge and I wanted to get rid of it somehow and thats how the Fruit Punch took shape. The fruit punch tastes good with any number of fruits as long as you don't get a weird combination!

I didn't really have the need to chill the drink, as the weather was already cold. New England always has the weirdest of climates and the Spring is always late. When there are blossoms in other parts of US, I can hardly see a complete tree with leaves!

Ingredients: (Serves 2)

2 Oranges - Peeled and sliced
1 mango - Peeled and sliced
few seedless grapes
3 Dates - De-seeded and chopped fine
Sugar - 3-4 tbsp (Depends on the sweetness of the fruit, the ones I used were sour - so I had to add in some sugar)

Recipe: Add all the fruits to a blender, and make a smooth paste. There wouldn't be any need to add water. Sugar can be added if needed. Filter the juice and leave aside the residue. Serve cold on a hot summer day!

Sending this off as my entry toRefreshing Drinks - RD For Summerby Anu Sriram of Chandrabhaga.

That's my dinner tonight!

Both these also go to Mahimaa's "15 min Cooking" Event. Have a Great Weekend folks!

Kadala/Channa Sambar

2009-04-07T13:55:00.017-04:00

I'm not a big fan of sambar, but I've always loved this dish that my mom made. She generally uses Brinjal along with Garbanzos(Kadala in Tamil, Senagalu in Telugu), but as I don't like Brinjal in a liquid dish .. I am avoiding it in this recipe. A simple dish, with a great source of protein! The recipe is quite similar to the Sambar recipe, but I used fresh Sambar paste rather than the old Sambar powder in my pantry.

And presenting tonight's dinner.. Rice with Senagala Sambar and Alu Curry

Ingredients:

Garbanzo beans - 1 cup (Canned/Dried) - Soak the dried in water for 8 hrs & cook until soft. Note: Can be substituted with Black Channa as well.
Toor Dal/kandipappu - 1 1/2 cups
dhania/corriander seeds - 2 tbsp
menthulu/fenugreek seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Chana dal/senagapappu - 1 tsp
urad dal/minapappu - 1 tsp
dry whole chilli - 10 (Adjust accordingly)
Dry coconut powder - 1 tbsp
Tamarind - lime sized ball
Salt
Cilantro - to garnish
Onion - 1 medium - chopped into 1/2 inch cubes

Tempering:
Oil, Mustard Seeds, Cumin Seeds, Curry leaves

Recipe:

* Pressure Cook pre-soaked Garbanzos (1 : 2.5 water ratio) and Toor Dal (approx 1:2.25 water ratio)seperately, with sufficient water and required salt.

* Soak Tamarind in water for 10 mins. Pour the tamarind water in a thick-bottomed pan and set the flame on med-high. Bring it to a boil and add the Onions. Cover and cook for 5-8 mins, until the Onions become soft.

* In another pan, drop in a little oil and fry Corriander seeds, Fenugreek seeds, Chana Dal, Urad Dal and Whole Chillies. Once they start gaining color, switch off and keep aside. Grind along with Dried Coconut Powder adding little water. Dry coconut is just a substitute, use Fresh Coconut if available.

* Add this ground paste to the boiling tamarind water. Mash the cooked toor dal and transfer to the tamarind water. Stir well. Let it cook until it boils.

* Add the Garbanzos/Channa towards the end. Adding Channa earlier will cause the Sambar to thicken. Adjust salt and spice. Garnish with Cilantro

* Get a pan ready for tempering, In oil - add mustard, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Transfer this to the sambar. Serve hot with Rice!

This makes a very heavy meal with Rice, and I prefer eating this over lunch rather than Dinner!

Tried it and Loved it!

2009-04-01T12:48:00.010-04:00

Last week, I was going through this blog "Finger Licking Food". I guess it was the name that caught my attention. As I kept digging deeper and deeper I found THIS recipe which I thought I must try. I had most of the Ingredients that were mentioned in the blog except for the Guajillo chilies. Well, that didn't matter I had Red Chillies and I substituted with it and Loved the dish. It was really tasty!

I did make a couple of modifications to the dish based on what was available in the pantry. So here goes the recipe, not much of a difference but little tweaks here and there!

Enchiladas
Source: Finger Licking Food

Ingredients <

Flour Tortillas - 6
Grated Cheese - 2 tbsp
Salt

For the Sauce:
Tomatoes - 3 medium - cubed
Red Peppers - 2 medium - cubed
Garlic Pods - 3
Oregano - 1/2 tsp
Red Chillies - 5-6 (adjust based on spice level)

For the Filling:
Red Onions - 1 small - finely chopped
Green and Red Pepper - each 1 small finely chopped
Carrot and Peas - 1/2 cup (I had frozen ones and I had them thawed)
Cauliflower - 1/2 cup - finely chopped ( Had frozen ones, thawed, drained and chopped)
Red Chili flakes - 1/2 tsp
Tomato Sauce - 2 tbsp (Optional)
Olive OIl - 2 tbsp
Garlic - 2 pods (optional)
Lime juice - 1 tsp (optional)

Recipe: Get ready for the long process :-)

* On a greased tray, set the cubed veggies for the sauce and push the tray into a Pre-heated Oven at 400F for about 40 mins. My Oven's not that great, so it didn't leave a char.

* Soak Red Chillies in hot water for 30 mins.

* Grind the roasted veggies, along with tomato sauce (optional), oregano, salt and Red Chillies.

* If you find the sauce too watery, heat it for a while to regain the consistency.

* Meanwhile get the filling done. In a pan add Olive Oil, Red chili flakes and Garlic, Onions and saute' for a minute. Next add the peppers and cover and cook for couple of mins. Finally add the thawed veggies and salt. Mix well until they are almost cooked. Turn off stove and set aside.

* Heat the Tortillas on a Tava. Place the filling in the center of the tortillas and roll the two sides towards the center. Arrange on a greased baking tray, open side downwards.

* Pour the sauce all over the tortillas and add cheese on top.

* Bake for 20 mins at a temp of 350F.

* Carefully plate the Enchilladas and serve. Tastes best when hot!

Happy Ugadi!

2009-03-27T11:56:00.009-04:00

Virodi Nama Samvatsara Subhakankshalu!!!

Here's a pic I found on the web that for me defines Ugadi - Vepa putha, Mamidikaya and Ugadi Pachadi!!

And today's Naivedyam..

The platter has .. (clock-wise) Lemon Rice, Besan Laddoo (by my roommate), Bobbatlu/Poli and Medhu Vada. I also made Ugadi Pachadi (without the Neem) hoping that there would be nothing bitter to experience this year :D

I got the Naivedyam done early this morning and took off to work! Looking at whats in store for lunch scares me - I just hope I don't fall asleep after lunch:( Hope your new year is filled with great flavors of life!!

P.S: This was the first time I ever made Bobbatlu and I didn't even get a chance to check the taste as it was to be served to God first. I couldn't resist myself to take a bite after the Naivedyam to see how I fared - and it was good! Yay Me :D

Pasta - Inspired!

2009-03-23T13:48:00.009-04:00

Pasta has always been my least preferred food. Italian food for me revolves around a Pizza :D - I have never tried Pasta here at the Local Restaurants with a (mis)conception that its always going to be bland & tasteless. True, and not so true. :D

The first time I tasted Pasta was on my flight to US and quite frankly I hated it! I just had a little bite and wanted to Puke! My brother shares the same feeling with me - Pasta was a strict No-No for us :). Last week as my roomies & I were discussing about Italian food, it occurred to my mind that may be I should give Pasta a try.. I can spice it up & make it tasty! Thanks to Akshayapaatram I found this recipe. With a confidence that I had previous day's left-over as a backup I decided to give it a try and surprisingly - It came out Awesome!

Source: Akshayapaatram (I did make a few modifications)

Ingredients: (Serves 2)
Pasta - 2 cups (I used Penne)
Tomatoes - 4 medium
Onions - 1 medium - Chopped
Red and Green Pepper - 1 small each - Chopped
Green Chillies - 3 slit (Optional)
Red Chili flakes - 1 tsp
Garlic Pods - 2 - Chopped
Salt
Dried Oregano - 1/2 tsp
Olive Oil

Recipe:

* Cook the Pasta as per the directions. Don't forget to add Salt! :D
* Priya's recipe asks for Cherry tomatoes, but as I didn't had any I used regular ones. Coat the tomatoes with Olive Oil and leave it in a pre-heated oven at 400 F for 15 mins. "Thanks" to my Oven's efficiency - It didn't leave a char and wasn't roasted. It came out more as blanched tomatoes. Hmm.. Anyways!
* Heat Oil in a pan, Add Red chili flakes, Green Chillies, Garlic and Saute for a min.
* Add finely chopped Onion and later Peppers and oregano. Add a little salt. Cover and Cook for a few mins, stirring at regular intervals.
* Once the peppers go soft and the tomatoes from the Oven are ready, add the tomatoes and mash them. Adjust spices.
* Check if the Pasta is cooked.Drain excess water and add pasta to the pan. My veggies weren't dry and hence didn't have to use any water - but incase you have to .. do use the water Pasta was cooked in.
* Keep stirring so that Pasta is well-coated with the tomatoes. Garnish with cheese and serve-hot.

I truly enjoyed my bowl of Pasta and it was a very heavy dinner! I'm glad I tried this and happy about the result.A bowl of Pasta, Coke and watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S - Heaven!

Rava Laddoo - "No one can eat just one!"

2009-03-19T13:42:00.012-04:00

I've always had a sweet-tooth, but never made an effort to go and buy something for myself. I eat/ate sweets only during festivals or at weddings! There's again a lot of filtering in this area as well as to what can go into my mouth - but Rava Laddoo has always been a fav! I tried the recipe here in the US a few times and with each attempt I got better :D (sabaash sabaash!!). With the scope of improvement minimal, I decided to post this recipe! This is also my brother's fav and he can eat 3-4 at a time!!

I know this pic doesn't do any justice to the taste, but unfortunately this is the only pic I have and I'm too lazy to click another one now! :D. Now don't get too shocked looking at the quantity - this pic was taken on the day when my friends and I were volunteering at a local temple and Rava Laddoo was one of the many "Prasadam" we cooked.

Ingredients: (makes about 8-10 based on your palm size :) )

Semolina/Rava/Sooji - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup (Adjust as per your taste-buds)
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Cashews & Raisins - As many as you want!
Cardamom Powder (optional)
Shredded Coconut - 1/3 cup ( I had used Frozen Coconut & it still tasted good!)
Milk

Recipe:
Heat Ghee in a Pan and add the Cashews. Once they are brownish, add raisins and remove them once the raisins are puffed. There must be some ghee left out (hopefully :P) and to that you can add Rava and fry until you get a nice aroma. Turn off the stove and let it cool for a few mins. Grind the rava and Sugar together and make a fine powder (Do Not Add any Water).

Take the Rava - Sugar Powder in a bowl and add the fried Cashews, Raisins; Cardamom Powder and Shredded Coconut. Add little milk at a time and keep making balls using your palm. It tastes so good and melts in your mouth that I bet, you can't stop with just 1. Store in an air-tight container. Refrigerate for a longer life.

Sending it off as an entry to Srivalli's Mithai mela

Chole - Amma's style!

2009-03-18T15:52:00.036-04:00

I remember we had Class parties every year at School right before the annuals and every kid had to make a significant contribution. We had the following options:

A. Bug our mom to prepare some dish
B. Find out what everyone likes and get something from the bakery(which means
spending from the pocket-money - NO WAY!)
C. work their a$$ off in arranging the party which involves moving chairs, lifting tables, decoration, phew!

The LAZY person I am, there was clearly one choice and it was the first one. But the choice of the dish was made by my friends, all I had to do was carry it from home in a Large Red Cello Hot-Pack. You must have guessed it by now.. I'm referring to CHOLE! I love the way my mom makes this, and no matter how hard I've tried I have never been able to reach her standards. I keep complaining that she has some secret ingredient that she doesn't want to disclose! :D

You'd need:
Garbanzo - Soaked for 8 hrs (As I cook during the nights, I soak it before leaving it for work)
Potatoes - 2 medium
Onions - 2 Medium - Sliced
Tomatoes - 2 Small or 1 Large
Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1 tsp (My mom never used this, but I somehow got addicted!)
Dry Masala - Cinnamon Stick, Cardamom, Cloves (each a few)
Chole Masala - about a tsp
Mirchi powder - about a tsp
Garam Masala - optional
Oil
Salt
Corriander to Garnish

Recipe:
Pressure cook the soaked garbanzos along with cubed potatoes and little salt. Once the cooker cools off, take a cup of cooked garbanzos in a blender along with tomatoes and 1 onion sliced. Make a smooth paste without adding water. You can also add a pinch of Garam Masala while blending.

Heat Oil in a pan and add the dry masalas. Once they fry for a bit, add the remaining onions and Ginger-Garlic Paste. Let the dry smell of the Garlic vanish. Once the onions are light - brownish, add the cooked/cubed potatoes and fry for a while. Pour in the blended paste when you notice the potatoes are little brown on the sides. Its the time for the ground powders to make an entry. Pour in water if required. When everything is mixed well, add the rest of the Cooked Garbanzos and salt. Cook with a covered lid for 5-8 mins on a med-high flame. Just before you turn off the stove add chopped Corriander and keep the lid covered for a few more mins.

There's my plate - hot chapatis with chole

Personally, I love to have Chole with hot Chapatis. Lot of people prefer it with Rice too!

This is on its way to Viki's "Side Dish for Chapati" Event.

And Here's a tip: Incase you've added a lot of water and feel that the gravy is not consistent, add some cashew-paste and your gravy gets a rich lift-up :)

Puri Sagu

2009-03-18T15:18:00.013-04:00

My first successful Puri trial - YAY me!

A couple of weeks back as my roomie and I were roaming around at the Local Grocery Store trying to figure out something great to make on a weekend, it struck my not-so-frequently-functioning mind that we never tried Puri!! But, I didn't want to cook the regular side-dish we make. I wanted a change and I thought I would make Sagu! BTW, I've never made Sagu before ;) and hence you would not identify the pic above as a traditional Karnataka dish :D

So here goes the recipe

For the Puri:

You need: Atta, Salt, oil, water. If I'm in a good mood, I substitute water with warm milk :).

Knead the dough and keep aside for 30 mins. Roll out into 3" dia circle (puris look the best when they are circles, or atleast almost ;) ). Make sure they are not too thin .. else you'd get papads instead of puris :D. When the oil is piping hot, slide the rolled out dough into the oil. The puris must puff up within few seconds. Remove immediately once they puff.

Sagu:
You need:

Veggies of your choice - I had Potato, Frozen Carrots & Peas and Onions.
Oil
Salt

For the Paste:
Fresh Corriander leaves - handful
Green Chillies - 4-5 (All the spice depends on the chillies you put in - As I eat spicy food, I used a lot more :D)
Sesame seeds/Nuvvulu - 3 tbsps
Garlic pods - 3
Ginger - about an inch
Fresh corriander - 2 tbsps
Cashews (optional) - 8-10
Grind all the above with little water

Recipe:
Heat oil in a pan, and add the sliced onions, Once they turn light brown add in the Cubed Potatoes, Carrots and peas. Add little salt which would help in cooking the veggies faster. Once the veggies are semi-cooked, add the ground paste .. adjust salt and cook covered on medium flame for 5-10 mins. Stir at regular intervals to avoid burning. Add water if required. Serve hot with puris.

The taste was different that what I had expected. When I started preparing the dish, I had no clue what to use. One thing that I had registered in my mind was not to use Mirchi/Cumin/Corriander/Garam Masala Powder as I was pretty bored of their taste. At the end, my so-called "Sagu" did turn out to be tasty and it complimented the Puri very well!

This is on its way to Viki's "Side Dish for Chapati" Event.

Gobi ke Parathe!

2009-03-09T15:09:00.006-04:00

My roommate and I have a pact that every Friday we are going to treat ourselves to a very good meal. The aim is to Kick-start a great weekend with great food! So we try to make it a point to cook something different from the daily annam/koora/pappu. This Friday I made Gobi Parathas. I didn't take any pics :D. I love Parathas, especially Alu Parathas.. but Gobi comes in next.

Ingredients
(makes about 2 medium parathas)

1 cup Wheat Flour
10-12 Cauliflower Florets
2-3 Green Chillies (Finely Chopped)
1/2 tsp Mirchi powder (if you're not a spice freak, you can avoid this)
1/4 tsp Garam Masala
Salt to Taste
Pinch of Amchur (adds great taste)
Finely Chopped Corriander/Cilantro - 1 tsp

Recipe:

Knead the atta and keep aside(atleast 30 mins) until the stuffing is ready. I use warm water. The parathas get softer :).

1. If using Frozen Gobi, wash the florets microwave for 5 mins and drain all the water. If using fresh ones, steam cook until well cooked.

2. If you have lot of patience you can chop these florets finely. I started chopping them, but got bored and mashed all of them :D

3. Add all the powders and mix well. Alternatively, you can fry oil in a pan, add all these powders and fry the gobi to make it dry.

4. Make a small chapati of 3" diameter and place a ball of the stuffing in the center. Bring the ends of the circle to the center as if making a bundle. Roll out this piece carefully, so that the filling doesn't come out.

5. Transfer onto a Tava on a med-high flame and keep turning. You can use low fat butter/oil on the parathas. Enjoy with pickle/curd or just like that! Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Methi pappu/koora?!

2009-03-06T14:41:00.006-05:00

I'm a very picky eater. Although my mom's a great cook - I don't eat everything she makes. One such dish was the menthi kura pappu she made. Although I occasionally had it , I never really enjoyed this dish until I tasted Saritha's MIL's Recipe. Saritha my ex-roomie here in the US, cooked this dish and I loved it. I kept bugging her & asking for the recipe umpteen times and she had to bear my lack-of-memory. Thanks to Saritha - I've started eating Methi and quite frequently now!

I don't know if this is a pappu or a koora. So, you guys can decide what you'd like to call it.

Ingredients:

Methi/Menthikura - 1 bunch - Finely Chopped (fresh ones taste excellent)
Onion - 1 large - Finely Chopped, Small pieces
Tomatoes - 2 small - Finely Chopped
Pesarapappu - About 2 cups, Soaked in water for about 45 mins
Garlic Pods - 4 - Finely Chopped
Green Chillies - Slit 6-7 ** Remember I eat spicy food. Reduce this if you're not a spice freak
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp ** Same as above, hehe
Cumin Corriander Powder - 1 tsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tsp

Recipe:

Wash & Soak the pesarapappu before you start the process.

Heat oil in a kadai. Add Jeera and after they finish dancing, add the green chillies and chopped garlic. Give it a min, and then add the onions. Cover and cook for about 2 mins. Meanwhile double-wash the methi to remove all the dirt and add salt to the Methi and leave aside for about 5-7 mins . Once the onions start turning brown, squeeze off the water from the Methi (take a fistful of methi in your hands and squeeze as hard as you can, my Suggestion: think of your boss then :D).

Add the methi to the frying onions and let the methi blend with them. The methi must be fried well so that they don't go bitter. Just after abt 5-7 mins, the methi gives out a nice aroma and thats when the tomatoes jump into the scene. Cover and cook and let the tomatoes get all mashed up. Add the spices/salt and let the oil seperate (if any). Hopefully the pesarappu is busy soaking all this while, else you would have to wait for a longer while.

When the tomatoes are mushy, and the spices have sinked into the veggies - Add the pesarapappu, little salt and water. Cover and Cook again for about 5 mins or so until the pesarappu is cooked right. Adjust spices if required!

Although this dish takes time, it tastes wonderful! I love to have it with hot steaming rice and enjoy the tanginess of tomato with the Rich taste of methi!

Stuffed Brinjal

2009-03-06T13:19:00.035-05:00

This being my first post on food - I would like to start off with my fav! Brinjal - The KING of Veggies!! I used to hate Brinjal when I was a kid, but suddenly started relishing its subtle taste and flavors when cooked the right way. This is how my mom makes Stuffed Brinjal and I simply love it. My friends loved it too when I made this few times here. Simple, yet different and tasty. So here goes the recipe:

Stuffed Brinjal (Serves: 2-3)

Ingredients:

10 - Small, Tender, Cute Brinjals :) (I prefer the violet ones for this dish)
Oil - 2 to 3 tbsp

Dry Ground
1 Cup - Split Dalia (Putnalu)
3 Tsps - Red Chilli Powder (you can increase or decrease here.. or you can substitute with whole Red Chillies)
Salt to taste
2 Tbsps - Cocunut Powder
Garlic Pods - 2 to 3 (Optional - Mom never used 'em - but I use it)

Recipe: In 3 words - Cut, Fill & Fry :)

* Wash and clean the brinjals. Chop the stem off and slit the Brinjal

* Make a fine powder of the dry Ingredients and Fill into the brinjals. I stuff a lot of powder into this, because that's where the real taste is.

* Heat Oil in a Kadai (Use a wide one so as to not heap the brinjals), and add the stuffed brinjals gently. Cover and cook (keep it in medium-low all way long), make sure the brinjals cook on all sides. Keep changing sides in regular intervals.

* When the Brinjals are almost done, Sprinkle the left over ground powder over the Brinjals and cover and cook again.(I always make sure I have lot of the dry ground powder left over so that I sprinkle it on the Brinjals)

* Switch off when the Brinjals have crinkled. Serve hot with Rice!

Steam cooking brings out beautiful aroma of this veggie and the longer it cooks on a low flame, the better it tastes. Be sure you don't let it burn - give it all the occasional oil/water that it needs. Sending this off as my first entry to WYF: Side Dish Event hosted by EC@ Simple Indian Cooking

This is also my entry to Sanghi's "FIL-Brinjal"

P.S: Make this curry when you have the time and patience.This may not be the typical Gutti Vankaya - but I like my curry to be dry and this definitely is worth trying!